Firestorm: Dragonfire
by ArkansanDragon
Summary: I do NOT own American Dragon. That belongs to Disney. The Huntsclan are dead. Rose is left with no memory of Jake or her life as Huntsgirl. But when an old enemy returns and Jake and the others are captured Rose is their only hope. Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1 Prophecy

Dragonfire

By ArkansanDragon

Characters based on the Disney Channel cartoon: American Dragon: Jake Long

(I do NOT own American Dragon. This show and all its characters belong to Disney.)

The Huntsclan are dead, Rose is left with no memory of Jake or her life as Huntsgirl. But when an old enemy returns and Jake and the others are captured; Rose is their only hope. Can she regain her lost memory in time to save them? But once she gets her memory back; will it be enough to save them? (Contains spoilers for episode "Homecoming"! AU: takes the place of the episodes "Nobody's Fu", "Being Human" and "Hong Kong Longs".)

Chapter1: Prophecy

It was afternoon in New York City. School was out and summer vacation was almost over. In the back room of a small electronics shop on Canal St., Jake Long and his best friends, Spud and Trixie, were busy helping Jake's grandfather, Lao Shi, track the movements of the unicorn herd that lived in Central Park.

"Yo, Gramps, why are we even botherin' with this? That herd's just gonna move around again anyway." asked Jake, bending over the map.

The old man pointed to the map and said "Jake, your duty as the American Dragon is to protect magical creatures. The more we know about where the unicorns will travel, the easier it will be for you to protect them."

"Yeah," said Spud, "This is just like one of those cattle drives! You know, 'get along there little doggies!' Yee-Hah!"

Trixie shot a look a him. "Spudinski, have you been watchin' those western movies again?", the African American asked.

"Yep." said Spud. Tall and thin, he was nearly as pale as Trixie was dark. Just then, Fu dog came up to them.

"Hey kids, so how's the trackin' goin'?" He looked around at them all. Spud was watching a fly buzz around his head, Trixie looked downright bored and Lao Shi was studying the map. Then the Shar Pei's eyes rested on Jake. The Asian American was staring off into space and seemed more distracted then usual. "What's on your mind, kid?" said Fu.

"Huh, What? Oh, it's nothing." said Jake, turning away from him.

Fu gave him a searching gaze. "It's Rose again, isn't it?"

Jake sighed heavily, "I can't help it, Fu. I know I should be happy for her, but... I still miss her."

"Don't worry kid," said Fu, "You'll see her again someday."

"Someday might come sooner than you think."

They all turned suddenly at the sound of the voice. Standing in the doorway were two girls. One was blonde and looked overjoyed to see them. The other had black hair and a sour look on her face. "Check it," said Trixie, "It's those freaky Oracle Twins again! How's it hangin' homegirls?"

"Hey, Kara. Hey, Sara. What's up?" asked Jake.

The blonde haired girl giggled at him, "We've got big news for you; my sister Kara has a prophecy!"

"So, that's a good thing, right?" asked Jake.

"It's a good thing." said Kara, "I just hate making prophecies, that's all. Oh great, here it comes..." All of a sudden her eyes shone with a golden light and she started to speak in a slow, hollow voice;

"_In darkest hour when all seems black, one who was lost will return to you. When hope is dead and all seems lost, one with a dragon's heart shall be your salvation. When all is darkness, the one marked by destiny shall find their true power. Hidden power shall be revealed and light shall conquer darkness. When darkness falls, the one marked by destiny shall bring forth the light."_

She blinked, and her eyes cleared. "Well, there you go." she said with a shrug, "Good luck." She and Sara turned to leave. Jake ran up to them.

"Wait!" he said, "You're just leaving? You're not even gonna tell us what all that meant?"

Kara glared at him, "Look Dragon boy, we just give the prophecies; we don't interpret them."

"Yeah, but-"

"Sorry Jake, but you're going to have to figure this one out yourself."said Sara. Suddenly their eyes glowed golden.

"By the way; Watch out for water mains." They said in unison.

Jake and the others looked at them, puzzled.

"Well that was new." said Fu dog.

"Uh...," said Jake "So was that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"We don't know, but you'll find out soon enough." said Sara with a giggle, "Oh, by the way-" Her eyes glowed gold again, "One of you won't be coming back this time." She stared into Jake's eyes as she said this. He didn't like the way she was looking at him.

He gulped, "Wh, what'd you mean 'won't be coming back this time?'"

"I don't really know," she said, then she giggled again, "but that just makes things all the more exciting! Don't you think so?"

"So," said Fu, "Anything _else_ gonna happen that we should know about?"

Kara looked at him. "You're gonna win the lottery next week." she said, "her-ray, for you."

Fu dog jumped ten feet in the air yelling "WHA-HOO!!!"

Then Sara said, "Then you're gonna get stomped on by a unicorn! Oooh, I hope your health insurance covers that."

"Uh...but I still win the lottery, right?"

"Nope," said Sara with a giggle, "Because the unicorn eats your lottery ticket! Sorry."

"Yep, that figures." said Fu.

"Good luck Dragon boy; you're gonna need it." said Kara, and with that; they turned and walked out the door...


	2. Chapter 2 Shadows and sisters

Dragonfire

Chapter2: Shadows and Sisters

As he skate boarded home that night, Jake's mind was racing with questions. What did that prophecy mean? What did Sarah mean when she said one of them wouldn't be coming back? Would he ever see Rose again? _Oh Rose_, thought Jake with a sigh. The last time he had seen her was the day after the Homecoming Ball. She didn't remember him after what had happened the night before, but it didn't matter. She was safe and back with her family. She had a normal life now, and as long as she was happy; that was good enough for him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by movement out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, staring back into the alleyway behind him. There was something there, something watching him. "Eye of the Dragon." Jake's black eyes glowed red as his dragon sight took over. He stared hard into the shadows, using his night vision; but there was nothing there. _Huh, _he thought_ must've just been a cat or somethin'. _But as he left, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. After he was gone; there in the darkness, a shadow moved...

When he got home, Jake was surprised to find his little sister, Haley waiting for him. "Shhh," she said, "Mom and Dad are already asleep. Mom told me to wait for you."

"Well I'm home now," said Jake, "So why don't you just go to bed."

"I can't sleep." she said, and that's when Jake noticed the flashlight in her hand.

"What are you doing with that? I thought you weren't scared of the dark."

"It's not the dark I'm worried about," she said in a whisper, "It's the shadows..."

All of a sudden she dragoned up, grabbed Jake by his shirt collar and pinned him to the floor.

"Haley!" Jake protested, "What's gotten into you?! Get off me!"

She put her claw over his mouth and cocked her head, listening intently. Jake lay perfectly still. He'd never seen her act like this before, but he could tell by the way she was shaking that something must have really scared her. After a while, she relaxed and got off him. He sat up and looked at her. "What was that all about?" The little pink dragon looked at him, Nearly 9 years old, she was extremely smart for her age. Jake was nearly 5 years older. Normally he would have been annoyed by the way she was acting. But this time was different, she was shaking and her eyes were full of fear. "Haley? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Jake," she said, and even her voice was shaking, "The shadows..."

"They're just shadows, Haley. There's nothing to be scared of."

She glared at him. "These aren't normal, Jake, they move by themselves and there's nothing to cast them. Stop looking at me like I'm crazy! I know what I saw!"

"Keep it down." hissed Jake, "You'll wake up Mom and Dad. Alright Haley, where did you see these shadows?"

She pointed upstairs, "Follow me. But be careful." Still in dragon form, she led him up the stairs, lighted the way with her flashlight. "It was in my room first." she said. They reached Haley's room. Jake put out his arm to keep her back, and slowly opened the door.

"Dragon up." he whispered. A blue light engulfed him, when it had cleared, a red and gold dragon stood in his place. He entered the room slowly, looking around for anything out of place. Haley watched nervously from the hallway. After a few minutes, he came back out. "There was nothing in there, except your stuff. Whatever it was, it's gone now." Suddenly, they both heard something moving.

"It's coming from your room!" said Haley. Jake put a claw on her shoulder, "Stay here. Whatever it is, let me handle it." He slowly opened the door to his room and looked inside. Everything looked normal, until he caught sight of something beside his desk. Even with his night vision, he could barely make out what it was. A deeper patch of darkness, at first he thought it was just a shadow, until it moved. Haley's words came back to him, "_They move by themselves, and there's nothing to cast them." _He entered the room, the shadow hadn't noticed him, it seemed to be looking for something. Suddenly it turned, in it's claw was a photograph of Jake and Rose at a school dance together. The shadow's red eyes narrowed as it spotted Jake.

"Hey! Put that down!" cried Jake, lunging at the shadow. It dodged, and raked a claw down his arm. He yelped in pain, and stumbled back. The shadow turned and disappeared, melting back into the darkness. Jake stood there, clutching his arm, staring at the place where the shadow had been. Only then did he realize what he'd been dealing with, and silently cursed himself for not knowing it sooner. There was only one thing it could have been... a shade, and there was only one being with the power to control shades...The Dark Dragon.

Haley rushed into the room. "You're hurt!" she said when she saw him, "Wait here, I'll go get the first aid kit." When she got back, Jake was sitting on his bed, still in dragon form. She went up to him. He was staring at the wall where the shadow had vanished. There was a look in his eyes that she had rarely seen there: fear. "Jake?"she asked. He looked down at her, like he was in some sort of trance. "Jake what happened? What was that thing?" As she spoke, she started to clean the wound on his arm. The pain brought him out the trance.

He winced and said, "You were right, that wasn't a shadow. It was a shade. I should have realized it sooner."

Haley looked up from what she was doing, "But what was it doing here?" Then her eyes widened, "You don't think it was one of_ his_, do you? One of the Dark Dragon's? But I thought you and your friends defeated him over a year ago."

"Yeah," said Jake, "but it looks like he might be back. That shade took something of mine, that photo of me and Rose."

"But that means..."

"I know. Listen Haley, we gotta warn Gramps about this." Haley finished bandaging his arm. Jake tried to get up, but she pushed him down onto the bed.

"Oh no you don't." she said, "You're not going anywhere with that arm. You need to rest."

"It's just a scratch, Haley, I'm fine." he said, wincing in pain.

Haley put her claws on her hips. "Do you _want _me to get Mom and Dad?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He returned to his human form, and lay down. "Fine." he said, "But first thing tomorrow, I'm headin' to the shop to tell Gramps what happened."

"I'm going with you." said Haley, returning to her human form, "If the Dark Dragon really is back, you guys are gonna need all the help you can get."

The next morning...

"Jake, what happened to your arm?" Jake's mother, Susan, was standing near the kitchen table where Jake and Haley were eating breakfast. Jake started to answer, when his dad, Johnathan, came into the room.

"_Ahola, famlia,_" he said, then he caught sight of Jake. "Woah, Jake what happened to you?!"

"Uh... cat jumped me," lied Jake, "a big one."

"Jake," said Johnathan, looking over his glasses, "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times; be careful when you're skatin' down those alleys, or it'll be more than a cat that jumps ya'." Then he turned and left the room.

Susan raised an eyebrow at her son. "Do I even want to know what happened last night?"

"Mom," said Jake, looking her straight in the eyes, "There was a shade in the house last night."

Her face paled. She stared hard at him. "A shade... Jake are you absolutely sure?"

"Yeah, Haley saw it too. It took something from my room, that photo of me and Rose at the school dance."

Haley chimed in, "Mom, don't you think it's about time we tell Dad about us being dragons and the magical community and all that? I mean, you know he's gonna find out sooner or later."

Susan looked down at her. "You're right, we'll have to tell him soon, if a shade means what I think it does." she said, fingering the jade stone on her necklace. She looked back at Jake. "Have you told your grandfather yet?"

"That's where we're going right now." said Jake.

Back at Lao Shi's shop...

"Yo, Fu! Is Gramps here? We've got an emergency!" said Jake, as he and Haley burst into the shop.

Fu came out of the back room. "Whoa, calm down kid, where's the fire, and what did you do to your arm?"

Jake glared at him. "This is serious Fu. Now where's Grandpa?"

"The ol' man just left to go check on the griffin nest on top of the Empire State Building. He won't be back for another hour or so. What's the problem, kid? "

"There was a shade in the house last night." said Jake.

Fu's eyes went wide. "Oh no, kid, please tell me you're joking!"

He showed Fu the bandage on his arm. "Does it look like I'm joking? This wasn't a cat scratch. But listen Fu, the shade took that photo of me and Rose together. You know what that means?!"

"Oh this aien't good!" said Fu, "Don't worry kid, I got the ol' man's number on speed dial. Now, where'd I put that cell phone?"

He started digging through the wrinkles in his fur. It wasn't long before he started throwing stuff out of them. There was a rubber chicken, a bowling ball, a broken accordion, an anvil, a cook book, a kitchen sink, a slipper, a T.V. remote, Jake's algebra homework "Hey! I've been lookin' everywhere for that!", and a small pink book with a lock on it.

"That's my diary!" said Haley, snatching it up and glaring at Fu.

He blushed, " Heh, heh, Now how did that get in there?" After pulling out an umbrella, a fishing pole, a few dozen potion bottles, and a bag of dog biscuits (winnings from his gambling); Fu Dog finally found his cell phone.

Just then, Loa Shi came in. "I had a feeling there would be trouble, so I came back early." He looked around at the mess Fu Dog had left. "It would seem that I was right."

"Gramps," said Jake, "We've got a big problem. There was a shade at our house last night!"

"I know," he said, "Susan has already called me. But the important thing now is to figure out what to do about this." Just then, Spud and Trixie came in.

"Hey, Jakey," said Trixie, then she caught sight of his arm, and all the stuff Fu had cleaned out.

"Woah! Dang, Jakey! Looks like a tornado went through here! And what did you do to your arm? Looks like you got jumped by some monster cat, or somethin'."

"Spud, Trixie, I'm glade you guys are here." said Jake, "We've got trouble. A shade was in our house last night. It took that photo of me and Rose."

Trixie's eyes went wide. Spud's mouth dropped open, "A shade at your house! But wait... wouldn't that mean the Dark Dragon's back and plotting his revenge on you and Gramps so he can destroy humanity? And if he gets ahold of that photo... Oh my gosh! That means he'll be goin' after Rose next!"

"I know." said Jake, "I gotta find her before the Dark Dragon does."

"But she lives all the way over in Hong Kong now." said Trixie, "How're we gonna get there and back, without your dad noticin'."

Jake gave her a puzzled look. "What'd you mean 'we'?"

"Dude," said Spud, "You didn't think we'd let you battle the Dark Dragon without us, did ya?"

"Thank's guys." said Jake, "I knew I could count on you. But what about your parents? Won't they get kinda suspicious if you suddenly disappear for a few days?"

They both hung their heads. "Yeah, I guess you're right." they both said.

All of a sudden, Jake's dad came bursting into the shop!

Fu Dog dropped to all fours and started wagging his tail, saying "Woof, uh...Woof, woof!"

"Dad!" said Jake, "Uh... What are you doin' here?"

"Jake, Haley, you guys are gonna be tickled pink when ya' hear what I did. I just won us a two week, all expenses paid, family vacation... to Hong Kong!"

"Say What!!!" yelled Jake and everyone else.

His dad nodded, "I know! Isn't it great! And the best part is, Spud and Trixie are invited to come along!"

"Say What!!!" they said again.

"That's right," said Johnathan, "We've already talked to their parents and they said it was alright with them. So, welcome aboard you two! You guys had better go home and pack your bags, 'cause we're headin' to the airport first thing tomorrow!" Then he spotted Loa Shi. "You know," he said to the old man, "If you're still afraid of flying, we could just take a boat."

Loa Shi smiled, "I think I can make an exception this once. As long as Fu Dog comes with me."

The next day, they were bound for Hong Kong...

Elsewhere in New York City...

"-and so the goblin says "Ogre, I barely know her!"" Da-da-da! The only reaction was the sound of chirping crickets. Number 89 glared at the crowd. "Critics!" he called. An overripe tomato hit the wall next to his head. This was soon followed by more produce. Number 88 ran over to him, holding a drum cymbal between them and the rain of vegetables.

"You know what, this job sucks!" said 88, "Come on 89, let's high-tail it outta here!" They both ran for the exit, still getting pelted by vegetables. Once they were outside, both boys stopped to catch their breath. This had been their latest attempt to find a job, ever since the destruction of the Huntsclan. Being first year novices, 88 and 89 had been allowed to quit the Clan, which they did, right before the other members had been destroyed. 89 was pale, tall, skinny and buck-toothed. By contrast, 88 was short, stocky, and African American.

89 looked down at his shorter companion. "So much for that job. So now what'd we do?"

"Well, I don't know about you." said 88, "But I'm goin' go spy on that dragon-boy at his grandpa's shop."

"Yeah," said 89, "Maybe they'll give us a job?"

88 glared at him. "Are you crazy, fool! You whanna go work for a _dragon_!"

89 glared back. "You got a better idea? At least it'll be better then gettin' thrown to the kraken by the Huntsmaster again!"

"Dude, the Huntsmaster's dead, remember. All the Huntsclan are dead, 'cept for us." said 88, "But you do have a point there. I guess we got nothin' to lose."

At Loa Shi's shop...

"Hello!" said 89, knocking on the door. "Anybody home? Looks like nobody's here. You think we should go in?"

"Guess so." said 88, "The sign says they're closed."

89 tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "Maybe we can get in through that trapdoor on the roof." When they got to the roof, they found the trapdoor unlocked, so they went in. "There's nobody here." said 89.

"Why don't you check the security cameras? That ought'ta tell us where they went." said 88. They went over to the computer, and pretty soon, they had the security footage on the screen.

"So..." said 89, after they'd finished viewing the footage, "Looks like our dragon-boy has some problems. Interesting... and it sounds like Rose is still alive. _Very_ interesting..."

"So... now what'd we do?" said 88.

"88," said 89, "Saddle up! 'Cause we're catchin' the first flight outta here to Hong Kong!"...

* * *

("If you're still afraid of flying...") referes to the episode Feeding Frenzy. When it was Loa Shi's turn to keep Johnathan away from Susan's family reunion in Florida (for obvious reasons). Loa Shi told Johnathan that he was afraid of flying, so they had to drive all the way there. 


	3. Chapter 3 Dreams

Dragonfire

Chapter 3: Dreams

Somewhere in Hong Kong...

_It was night. The wind whipped at her long golden braid as she stared at the dragon in front of her. He looked about the same age as she was. Bright red with gold belly scales and green spines down his back. There was a crystal skull in her hand, and she carried a bladed staff. All around her were statues of gargoyles, each with a glowing crystal skull in its mouth. Bright beams of light connected the skulls. All around her and the dragon, heavily muscled warriors were fighting with three other dragons. Two of the dragons were female, a small pink one, and an older blue-green and yellow. The last was an elderly Chinese male, who was dark blue, with gold belly scales. Each of the warriors wielded a bladed staff, and each wore a dragon's skull for a helmet. _

_A voice called to her, "Huntsgirl, hand me the skull and finish him." She looked to her right. A man was standing there, his black cape fluttering out behind him. He was without a helmet, but obviously the leader of the hunters. His head was bald and his black eyes were fierce. The front of his uniform was torn to reveal a large dragon-shaped birthmark across his chest, the dragon's head on the left side of his face. _

_She looked from him, to the dragon, then back at him. The hunter glared at her. "If you ever want to see your parents you will do as I say!" he snapped. She looked back at the dragon, then threw the skull to the hunter and attacked-_

Rose woke, cold, sweat was pouring down her face. The dream again... It was one of many that had haunted her over her 14 years. She put her face in her hands, trying to remember what she had seen. The dragon... she had seen him so often. That man, the hunter...What had he called her... Huntsgirl? He had wanted her to slay the dragon... What had he meant when was talking about her parents? The skulls... there was something important about them, of that she was sure. It was so hard to remember... the dream slipping away from her like sand.

She took her hands away from her face and looked at them. On the palm of her right hand was a red, dragon-shaped birthmark, it's tail curled around her wrist. It was like the mark on the hunter from her dream... Did that mean anything?

Rose got up, and crept into the hallway. Her parents and her twin sister, Violet, were still sound asleep. She went out onto the balcony. The full moon cast a silvery light over the Hong Kong harbor. As she looked out over the water, her thoughts drifted back to the dreams she'd had. Each had been different, but they all had some things in common. The red dragon... the hunter... she was sure, without a doubt that these two were enemies. But who were they? And how did they seem to know her? In her dreams the man had worn a dragon's skull for a helmet, and had always called her 'Huntsgirl'. Why did he keep calling her that? She wasn't a hunter. The dragon, on the other hand... there was something about him... the way he looked at her, even when they were fighting... as if, he knew who she really was...and he seemed so familiar... like someone she once knew... But that couldn't be right, after all, dragons weren't even real. And besides, they were only dreams, weren't they?

Movement caught her eye. She looked down into the alley below, but there was nothing there, only shadows. _I must be more tired then I thought_, she told herself. She went back inside and went back to bed. But there in the alley, a shadow moved...


	4. Chapter 4 Darkness and warnings

Dragonfire

Chapter 4: Darkness and Warnings

The shade made it's way through the shadows, until it came to a sewer entrance. In it's claws was a photograph of the American Dragon in his human form, and something else... a golden haired, blue eyed girl standing beside him. The shade smiled, its master would be pleased...

The Dark Dragon stood waiting. Soon his shades would return, then his plan could be put into action and he could seek revenge on the American Dragon. His red eyes narrowed. Oh how he _hated_ that dragon. Jake and his grandfather, Loa Shi, were the only two dragons to have ever fought him and survived. The Dark Dragon bared his teeth, his claws curling into fists of rage. The American Dragon had not only escaped him twice, but had defeated him with help from his friends during their last encounter. The Dark Dragon thought back to what had happened that day. His loyal servant, Councillor Chang, formerly of the World's Dragon Council, had led Jake's grandfather into a trap; planning to capture Jake as well. When Jake had come to rescue his DragonMaster; the Dark Dragon had offered him a choice: Join them in their plan to lead the magical creatures to overthrow the humans, or be slain. The young dragon had refused, and with help from his rag-tag band of human and magical allies, he had rescued Loa Shi, captured Chang, and defeated the Dark Dragon.

Just then, the shade returned...

On the Isle of Draco...

Chang looked out from the barred window of her cell. If the bars and walls hadn't been reinforced with unicorn horn, she would have escaped long ago. The old Asian stared out over the sea, brooding. After her capture, she had been tried by the other Councillors, and imprisoned for treason. They didn't use the death penalty, even for treason. _Although, _thought Chang smugly, _by the time our plan is complete, they will wish they had slain me. _The Council was of little concern to her. Soon her master would free her, and then they would complete their plan, and destroy anyone who stood in their way.

BOOM!! Suddenly, a wall of the prison exploded! Flames and stone were sent flying in all directions. Chang turned toward the sound, use her night vision to see through the smoke. A dragon guard rushed past her cell door, only to be knocked back. He went limp as he hit the wall, and didn't get up.

The Dark Dragon came into view. He took the keys from the guard's belt, and unlocked the cell door. Chang came out in her dragon form. She went over to the guard, grabbed him by the shoulder and pinned him against the wall. The dragon's eyes opened slowly. She pulled her claw back to strike, but the Dark Dragon grabbed her wrist. "Leave him. I want him alive." The guard's eyes went wide when he saw the Dark Dragon. "You! But- but how? Everybody thought you were-"

"Silence!" said the Dark Dragon, "I'll only let you live one condition. I want you to inform the Dragon Council of my return. And to be sure they get the message..." His claw slashed the guard's arm. The dragon yelled in pain, and Chang released him. The other guards came charging in, as the Dark Dragon and Chang flew off into the sunrise...

A short time later, in the Council Chamber...

A guard burst through the doors. The councillors turned to face him. "What is the meaning of this?!" asked Councillor Kulde, the European Dragon.

The guard stopped to catch his breath before answering, "Councillor Chang has escaped!"

"What!" This was Councillor Andam, the African Dragon, "How could she have possibly escaped, that was a maximum security prison!"

At that, three more guards came in. Two of them were supporting the third, who was badly injured. "Drake here, saw the whole thing." said the first guard, pointing to the injured one, "He can tell you better then we can."

Councillor Andam went over to Drake. There were deep gashes down the dragon's left arm.

It took only a moment to realize that they were claw marks. "What happened?" asked Andam, "Who did this to you?"

Drake looked up. His brown eyes were clouded with pain, but not even that could hide the fear in their depths. "There was this big explosion." he said slowly, "In the wing where Chang's cell was, I ran past her door to see what happened. Next thing I know, I get slammed against the wall. When I came to, Chang's in her dragon form, and got me pinned against the wall, fixin' to slay me! Then somebody grabs her wrist 'afore she can hit me. I look past her, and I see..." Here, he stopped, shuddering.

"Go on," said the Councillor gently, "Tell us what you saw."

Drake eyes were wide with fear as he spoke. "It was... the Dark Dragon."

There were gasps from the other Council members, Councilor Andam stared hard into Drake's eyes. "Are you absolutely sure of what you saw?"

Drake nodded, "It was him alright, I got a good look at 'em. He didn't let Chang kill me; said he wanted me alive. Said he wanted me to tell you he was back. Then he did this," here he pointed out the claw marks on his arm. "After that, Chang let me go and they flew off."

"Did you see which way they went?"

"East, I think, it was hard to tell with all the smoke."

Councillor Andam nodded gravely, and turned to the other guards. "See if you can get him some medical attention. The other Councillors and I must discuss what to do about this."

The guards bowed and left, closing the doors behind them.

"But what can we do about this?" asked Councillor Omina, the Dragon of Atlantis, "We don't know where they went, or what they're planning next."

"Then let us use what we do know." said Councillor Kulde, "_To defeat one's enemy, one must first know one's enemy._ We know that the Dark Dragon is planning to create an army of magical creatures and lead them forth to destroy humanity and anyone who stands in their way."

"We also know that he was defeated by the American Dragon and his friends last year when they rescued DragonMaster Loa Shi." added Councillor Kukulkhan, the Dragon of Central America, "and that he and Chang will be seeking revenge upon them."

"But there is more at stake this time." said Councillor Omina, "The American Dragon's younger sister is undergoing dragon training. Her DragonMaster is Sun Park, the Korean Dragon."

"We must find a way to warn them at once." said Councillor Kulde, "Where are they now?"

"Loa Shi sent a message last night saying that the family were on they way to Hong Kong. He also said that his grandson fought off a shade that was in their house the night before." said Andam, "I only hope we can reach them in time."...

* * *

To find out more about Chang and the Dark Dragon, see episodes Dragon Summit, and Hong Kong Knights (also spelled Hong Kong Nights). (about unicorn horn: It's the strongest substance on Earth, not even a dragon can break it.) see episode The Hiest


	5. Chapter 5 Reunion and rescue

Dragonfire

Chapter 5: Reunion and Rescue

In Hong Kong...

Jake flew high over the city, the morning sun gleaming off his bright red scales. They had made it to their hotel without much trouble. After the kids had finished unpacking, Loa Shi said it might be a good idea if he took Jake and the others sightseeing. Jake's parents thought it was a great idea, that way they could finish unpacking their stuff. Once they were far enough from the hotel, Loa Shi had let Jake go so he could find Rose.

Now as Jake looked around, he spotted something coming toward him. It didn't take him long to recognize who it was. "Sun?"

The blue-green and yellow dragon hovered in front of him. "Jake." she said, "I have urgent news from the Dragon Council. Where is Master Loa Shi?"

"Follow me." He led her back to where the others were waiting. Loa Shi came up to her. "Sun Park," he said, "It's good to see you, but what brings you to Hong Kong?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you. Chang has escaped with the help of the Dark Dragon. The Council fears they may be after you, so they sent me here to warn you. Besides, As a DragonMaster, I must still look after my student," she smiled down at Haley, "even if she is on vacation."

"Sun," said Jake, "The Dark Dragon isn't after me yet, I think he's going after Rose! I have to find her before he does!"

"Jake," said Sun, "Be very careful, this could be another one of his traps."

"Don't worry," said Jake as he took off, "I will be."

Soon it was getting late. Just as Jake was about to head back, he heard a scream. It was a girl screaming, and he knew instantly who it was. "Rose!"...

Rose ran. The last thing she remembered was eating dinner with her family. The next thing she knew, at least twenty shadow creatures had materialized out of nowhere! Her father had yelled for them to run, as he tried to fight off the creatures, but there were too many. Soon they had overpowered him, and he was swallowed by darkness. Rose's mother had gotten them outside, before she too had been captured. She cried out for Rose and her sister to run, before the darkness engulfed her. Rose had tried to go back, to save her parents, but Violet had dragged her away. "We can't help them if we get caught too!" she'd said. So they ran, down one alley and up the next, but everywhere the shadows pursued them. Finally, when they had stopped to catch their breath, the shadows had ambushed them. One of the creatures had gotten hold of Rose and pinned her. Violet had knocked it away, before several of the others had jumped her. She had fought wildly against them, as Rose tried to reach her. Violet had cried out for her sister to run and save herself. Rose had still tried to save her, but it was too late. Violet was gone. Then the shadows came for Rose, with tears in her eyes, she turned and ran, with the shadows close behind her.

Rose looked back, the shadows were gaining on her. She ran faster, rounded a corner- and found herself facing a brick wall! She turned back, but the shadows blocked the way she had come. They had her trapped. She backed away as they closed in, and felt the wall at her back. They stalked her, coming closer, their red eyes shining in triumph. As she looked at them, she didn't feel so afraid anymore. Rose moved away from the wall, her head held high. She glared at them defiantly as they surrounded her. _If you want me_, she thought, _then you picked the wrong girl to mess with. I'm not going down without a fight. _They circled her slowly, then, they attacked!

One of them lunged at her. She dodged, striking out with her fist, she caught the shadow in the back and it disappeared. More shadows attacked, grabbing at her with their claws, trying to force her to the ground. She couldn't let that happen, if they managed to pin her, it would all be over. Rose fought with everything she had. What surprised her was how much faster and stronger she seemed, and more surprisingly, she found herself doing Kung Fu!. It felt as if she'd been doing this all her life, but that couldn't be right. She'd never fought before and she didn't even know how to do Kung Fu! But by now she was starting to tire. Though she had managed to destroy some of the shadows, more had appeared, there seemed to be no end to them! They jumped her. Rose struggled wildly, but couldn't break free of them. They were all over her, clawing and scratching. Finally, she was down, they had her on her back, too weak to fight. Darkness crept over her, her last hope fading, knowing the shadows' red eyes would be the last thing she saw. _At least I'll be with my family again. _She thought. Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar pierced the night. A flash of red scales, flames spewing everywhere, suddenly the darkness was gone and so were the shadows. But Rose was too weak to even move. Whatever had defeated the shadows, she was at its mercy. Something was standing over her. She stared up at it as her eyesight started to dim. She saw a red and gold creature, tall and thin, with large, bat-like wings... But it couldn't be, that was impossible... the dragon bent closer to her, then everything went black...


	6. Chapter 6 The hideout

Dragonfire

Chapter 6: The Hideout

Jake looked down at Rose as he flew her back to the others. She'd fought like a wildcat, but the shades had done worse to her. She was covered with bruises and deep claw marks, and her breathing was shallow. _Don't give up on me, Rose. _He thought,_ just hold on._

When he landed, Loa Shi came up to him. "Young one, what happened, we heard you roaring-" but then he saw Rose. "What did this to her?"

"Shades," growled Jake, "I managed to save her," he bowed his head sadly, "but I couldn't save her family."

Loa Shi put a hand on Jake's arm. "There was nothing you could've done." he said softly, "But the important thing now is to get Rose to safety."

Jake looked down at her. "Gramps, I've got to get her to a hospital or something. if I don't get her some help, she's not gonna last the night."

Sun came up to him. "I know a place where she'll be safe. Follow me." she dragoned up, and took off. Haley and Loa Shi did the same. Loa Shi grabbed Spud and Trixie, while Haley grabbed Fu dog, and they followed Sun.

Soon, they came to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The windows and doors were boarded up, and a sign on the door read: DO NOT ENTER! DANGER! UNSAFE!, in both Chinese and English.

"You call this 'safe'?" asked Spud, "This place gives me the creeps."

"It may seem that way at first." said Sun, walking up to the door, "but remember, things aren't always what they seem to be." As she spoke, she opened the door and went inside.

The others followed her. The inside looked more like the inside of someone's home then a warehouse.

"Put Rose in here," said Sun, leading Jake into one of the bedrooms. He laid Rose on the bed as the others came in. "Don't worry, Jake." said Sun, seeing the look on his face, "I have some skill in healing. I'll do everything I can to help her." She turned to the others, "Fu dog, I need you and the others to get to work on some healing potions. You'll find ingredients in the pantry."

"Come on guys." said Fu, leading them out of the room.

"I just have one question." said Trixie, turning to Sun, "What's all this stuff doin' inside a warehouse anyway?"

Sun smiled, "This isn't really a warehouse, it was my home. I used to live here before I became a DragonMaster. I disguised it as a warehouse so no one would bother it while I was away."

She turned to Jake, "Why don't you go help the others, I'll do what I can for Rose." So Jake went with the others to make the potions. Once they were ready, Sun called Trixie and Haley to help her, and told Jake and the others to wait outside, shutting the door behind them.

It was a long wait. Jake started pacing. Loa Shi was meditating, while Fu dog started teaching Spud how to play poker.

A few hours later... "Hah! Read 'em and weep Fu!" Shouted Spud as he threw down his cards.

Fu stared at his cards in amazement. "Woah! You're a natural at this kid!"

"Thanks," said Spud, "Now fork 'em over."

"Ok, ok, a deal's a deal." said the sher pi, handing over the bag of donuts they'd been betting on.

Fu dog looked at Jake, who was still pacing. "Hey, take it easy kid, before you wear a hole in the floor."

The young dragon stopped pacing and turned to him. Just then, the door to the bedroom opened and Sun came out, followed by Trixie and Haley.

Jake went over to them. "How is she?" he asked.

Sun looked at him, and he could see dark circles under her eyes. "We've done all we can." she said, "It's all up to her now."

"Can I see her?"

Sun nodded, and stood aside to let him pass.

Jake went over to bed. Rose was still unconscious. Though the potions and Sun's magic had healed her wounds, she was still pale and weak from her fight with the shades. Tears welled up in Jake's eyes as he looked at her. It pained him to see her so helpless. "I should have been here sooner." he said.

"It wasn't your fault, young dragon."

He turned at the sound of the voice, as Loa Shi came in and put a claw on his grandson's shoulder.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened." the old dragon said kindy.

Just then, Loa Shi's cell phone started ringing. "Hello," he said, answering it, "Oh, Susan... yes, the children are still with me. Don't worry, We should be back shortly. I'll explain everything then. Good night." With that, he hung up the phone. "We'll have to leave soon." he said to Jake, "Your mother is starting to worry."

"But what about Rose?" asked Jake.

"Don't worry," said Sun, coming up to him, "I'll stay with her. She will be safe here."

"Thank you." said Jake. Soon, they were on their way back to the hotel...

* * *


	7. Chapter 7 Unexpected visitors

Dragonfire

Chapter 7: Unexpected Visitors

Later that night, Sun was sitting beside Rose's bed. She was just starting to doze off, when a sudden crash awoke her. She dragoned up, opened the bedroom door, and cautiously looked around. There were more noises coming from the kitchen. Sun crept along slowly. Soon she could hear the voices of two boys arguing.

"I don't think we should be in here." said one of them.

"What makes you say that?" asked the other.

"Well, think about it. Who in their right mind would disguise their home as a warehouse; unless they didn't want anybody gettin' in? Besides, what if there's somebody still here?"

"Ya' dang fool, this was your idea in the first place!"

Now Sun was close enough to see them, without them spotting her. One boy was tall, skinny, and buck-toothed. The other was short, stocky, and African American. Both of them wore the red masks and red and black uniforms of Huntsclan trainees, and both carried the bladed hunting staves. Sun recognized them instantly. They were numbers 88 and 89.

88 was digging through the refrigerator. 89 was trying to talk him out of it.

"I'm serious!" said 89, "You saw those dragon tracks outside the door! What if they're still in here!"

"Quit bein' such a cry baby!" snapped 88.

89 glared at him. "I know you are, but what am I?!" he said, turning away and crossing his arms. That's when he spotted Sun. His face went white. "Uh...88..."

88 looked up from the fridge. "Now what'd you want?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

"I think we'd better leave now." said 89, still staring at Sun.

"Yo, will you quit your bellyachin'! I've done told you already, there's no dragons in here!" But, then he froze, staring at 89.

89 wasn't looking at him.

"Heh, heh... there's a dragon right behind me isn't there." said 88, in a flat tone of voice.

89 nodded slowly, still staring at Sun. 88 turned around slowly, and spotted Sun. "Uh oh."

"Dra-dra- DRAGON!!" yelled 89.

"AHHH! Momma! Momma! Momma!" yelled 88, jumping into 89's arms.

Sun crossed her arms and glared at them. "Will you two be quiet!" she hissed, "I have a sick house guest, and the last thing she needs is to be woken up!"

They were both quiet instantly. "Sorry Ma'am." they said.

89 dropped 88, and fell to his knees. "Please don't hurt us!" he begged, "All we want is some food and a place to sleep, and maybe a new job?"

"I'm not going to hurt you." said the dragoness, still glaring at them, "But you should know better then to go sneaking into people's homes." Then she thought for a moment and said, "If I let you stay here, will you promise to behave yourselves and not disturb my other guest?"

The two boys looked at each other, then back at Sun. "Yes Ma'am." they said.

"Good." said Sun, returning to her human form, "I only have one spare bedroom, so you boys will have to share it."

"Oh, we're used to that sorta thing." said 89, "We were room-mates back at the Huntsclan Academy. Who is your other guest anyway?"

Sun led them to Rose's room.

"What happened to her?" asked 88 when he saw Rose.

"She was attacked by shades." said Sun, "What she needs now is rest. So I need you two to be quiet and not wake her up, understand?"

"We'll be quiet alright." said 88.

"Quiet as church mice." added 89, "You won't even know we're here."

_I highly doubt that,_ thought Sun, but she said, "Good, now you two should get some sleep. We'll talk more about this in the morning."...

* * *

Thanks for your ideas and reveiws. :) Keep up the reveiws:)


	8. Chapter 8 Ambush!

Dragonfire

Chapter 8: Ambush!

As they neared the hotel, Jake started feeling uneasy. He wasn't sure why, but the feeling grew worse as they dragoned down and went inside. "Mom?," he called as they reached the door to their rooms, "Dad?" There was no answer.

"Maybe they're already asleep?" suggested Haley.

"I don't think so," said Trixie, "I got a bad feelin' about this."

"Shhhh." hissed Jake, opening the door and going inside.

"Ok... this is usually the part of the movie where someone in the audience yells 'Don't go in there!'" said Spud nervously.

What Jake saw inside made his blood run cold. The room had been torn apart. Their belongings were scattered everywhere. Bed sheets and pillows had ben ripped to shreds. On the walls were huge claw marks.

Jake went further into the room, as the others came in behind him. Then, something caught his eye. He looked down and froze. There on the floor, were his father's glasses, and his mother's jade necklace.

"No..." He picked up the items and turned to the others, his eyes wide with shock. Suddenly, a look of anger came into his eyes. "That's it. Now it's personal! I'll make the Dark Dragon pay for this!"

"Oh really?"

They all turned, standing beside the window was a female, Asian dragon. She was tall, and slender; with magenta colored scales, purple belly scales, and black spines down her black with a flame-like tuft on the end of her tail. She wore gold braclets on her wrists, and carried a purple staff, not unlike the hunting staves wielded by the Huntsclan.

"_Chang!_" hissed Jake, "Dragon Up!" Blue light engulfed him, and the American Dragon stood before her, teeth bared and eyes full of rage.

Chang sneered at him. "Foolish boy," she scoffed, "Did you _honestly_ think that you and your friends had defeated the Dark Dragon?"

"_Where are my parents?!_" yelled Jake. Behind him, Haley and Loa Shi had also dragoned up.

"Oh, not to worry, American Dragon." said Chang, silkily, "You will soon be joining them."

"If you've hurt either of them, I swear I'll-"

"You'll do what?! Slay me?" said Chang, glaring at him, "You wouldn't stand a chance against me, boy. I'd be more then a match for you and your friends."

"Oh yeah!" said Spud, "You and what army?!"

She smiled wickedly. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by shades!

Trixie gave Spud a withering glare. "You just had to ask, didn't you?"

Chang looked at the shades, then smiled at Jake, "Take them."

The shades lunged at them from all sides. Jake dodged one and slashed out at another. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the others fighting. Two of the shades jumped Spud and Trixie. Darkness engulfed them. Seconds later, they were gone!

"No!" cried Jake, trying to reach the spot where they had been, but it was too late. He heard Haley screaming as she was pulled into the darkness.

"Kid! Get outta here!" yelled Fu, as he and Loa Shi fought. To his horror, Jake saw them being sucked down into the floor by darkness.

"Gramps!! Hang on, I'm coming!" yelled Jake, as he fought his way toward them.

"No Jake!" cried Loa Shi, "Get out of here and save yourself!" as he spoke, Chang started toward Jake, along with the other shades. A huge jet of flame shot from Loa Shi's mouth; a wall of fire between them and his grandson. "Jake! Run!"

Jake looked around. The fire blocked him from getting to Loa Shi. It also blocked Chang and the shades from getting to him, but he knew it wouldn't stop them for long. With one last look at his grandfather, Jake ran and leapt out the open window!

He flew away as fast as he could. He didn't know where the others had been taken, or how long it would be until Chang caught him. All he knew was that he had to warn Sun, and fast!

_I just hope I get there before the shades do!..._

Sun was in her dragon form, waiting for him when he arrived; and she wasn't alone. 88 and 89 stood beside her, their staves in hand. Jake landed heavily in front of them, exhausted.

"Jake," she said, coming up him, "What happened?!"

He tried to catch his breath before answering, "Shades... at the hotel... it was an ambush! Sun, they got my parents! Gramps... Fu... they're all gone! I couldn't save them! You've gotta get outta here! Chang and those shades'll be here any minute! "

"Jake, listen to me." said Sun, looking into his eyes, "You have to take Rose and leave. Get her as far away as you can. We'll try to hold them off long enough for you to escape."

"What? But-"

"There's no time for this! Go get Rose. Hurry!" as Sun spoke, light energy gathered around her and flowed over him. Jake felt his strength coming back as she pulled him to his feet. Just then, shades materialized all around them!

"Jake! Go!" yelled Sun, breathing a jet of fire at the shades. 88 and 89 started shooting energy blasts from their hunting staves, as Jake ran into the warehouse.

He reached Rose just as more shades appeared. He spat fire at them and charged through it, carrying Rose in his arms. The shades surrounded him again, and this time, Chang was with them.

"Going somewhere?" she sneered, and then she spotted Rose. "Give it up boy, you know you can't save her. You couldn't even save the others."

"That's what you think!" cried Jake. With that, he blasted through a boarded window, and flew off into the night...


	9. Chapter 9 Forgotten past

Dragonfire

Chapter 9: Forgotten Past

Jake flew over mountains in the predawn light. He knew it won't be long before Chang came after him, but at least he could get Rose to safety. He flew until he spotted a small cave down below. He landed, looking around to make sure he hadn't been followed, then went inside. It was a fairly small cave, dry, and bare. It was tall enough for him to stand in and wide enough so that his wing tips brushed the sides when spread to their fullest extent. Inside, the cave was twice as deep as he was long, including his tail.

He laid Rose in the center of the cave. A cold breeze blew in, making him shiver. It would be too risky to light a fire, and the temperature was dropping because of the high altitude. Jake looked down at Rose, who was already shivering. He returned to human form, took off his jacket and wrapped her in it. As he did, something fell out of one of the pockets. He picked it up, staring at it in disbelief. It was a charm bracelet, with blue and purple beads on it. There was also a large, purple, pyramid-shaped charm framed in gold. It was the dream charm Rose had given him. It gave it's user the power to enter another's dreams and subconscious. It was the only way he and Rose had been able to see each other, without fear of the Huntsclan finding out.

Jake looked down at Rose. She no longer had her dream charm. _Of course she wouldn't have it, _he told himself bitterly,_ but why do I still have mine? _He put the bracelet on his wrist, and looked at it. The big question was; did it still have powers? By now it was getting colder, even though the sun was starting to rise. Jake returned to his dragon form, and laid down beside Rose. He started to spread his wing over her, but then decided against it. After all, she didn't remember him, and he didn't think she'd be too happy to wake up with a dragon next to her. He moved away from her, and laid down beside the wall. He was asleep almost instantly...

_Rose looked around. She stood at the edge of a cliff, below her was a sea of darkness. _

"_Be careful, Huntsgirl."_

_She turned, the hunter was standing before her, his black eyes staring at her from inside his dragon's skull helmet. _"_Who are you?" she asked, "Why do you keep calling me 'Huntsgirl'? I'm not a hunter."_

"_Aren't you?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her, "Remember your dreams, Huntsgirl?"_

"_What are you talking about?! They were only dreams!" She started backing away, she didn't know who this man was, but something told her, he wasn't a friend._

"_Were they?" he said, coming toward her. "You know that isn't really true. As for who I am, you may call me, Huntsmaster." Huntsmaster? Why did that name sound so familiar? Rose backed away further. _

"_What do you want?" she said, trying to keep the fear from her voice._

"_Calm yourself, girl." he said, still coming closer, "I'm here to help you. You want to know the truth about your dreams? Then look!" He gripped her shoulder and turned her; pointing out over the sea. _

_An image formed in the sky. The scene showed a hospital delivery room. Rose's mother was lying in the bed, holding a baby. One of the doctors handed her a second baby, as he said, "Congratulations, they're twins!" _

_Rose's mother took the baby and said, "I'm going to call her, Rose." Then one of the doctors looked closer at a mark on the infant's right hand. _

"_Look at this strange birthmark." he said, "It looks almost like a... dragon." The scene changed, showing the hospital waiting room. Rose watched as a nurse wheeled in a bed with her mother in it. Rose could see herself and her twin sister in their mother's arms, and realized what she was seeing. _

_This must be right after I was born! She thought, But why is he showing me this?_

_She watched as her father came up to the bed, smiling proudly at his wife and children. Suddenly, the Huntsmaster was there, and he wasn't alone. A group of hunters stood behind him. The nurse bowed to him. "Huntsmaster," she said, "we have a new initiate."_

_What Rose saw next would haunt her for the rest of her days. Huntsmaster came up to Rose's mother, and snatched the babe from her arms, saying, "Come little one."_

_Before her shocked parents could reach their daughter, the other hunters held them back. Huntsmaster held the baby up to eye level, ignoring her cries, and looked at her. Or rather, at the dragon-shaped mark on her hand. "You are one of us." he said._

_The scene vanished, leaving only darkness. Rose turned, horror struck, to stare at the Huntsmaster. "You... but that couldn't be... I've lived with my family my entire life!" His black eyes bore into her's._

"_Have you?" he said softly, she heard danger in his voice as he said it. Suddenly, he had hold of her wrists, and she found herself at the very edge of th cliff! "This is for what you did to me." he hissed in her ear. "Say goodbye, Huntsgirl!" _

_He let go of her. She felt herself falling! Rose opened her mouth to scream, but not sound came. She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself as she fell toward a watery death. She hit... but this wasn't water... these were, scales?! Rose opened her eyes, and found herself staring into the eyes of the red dragon! He smiled down at her as they flew over the sea. It was only then that she noticed he had her in his arms. _

"_Don't be scared." he said, "I won't let you fall."_

_She didn't know why, but as she heard this, she knew he was telling the truth. Somehow, Rose knew she could trust him. The dragon landed on a sandy beach and put her down. _

"_You saved me." she said, turning to face him, "but why? Who are you?"_

"_You know who I am, Rose." He said, looking into her eyes._

"_How do you know my name? Who was that Huntsmaster guy? Why did he try to kill me, and what does all this have to do with the dreams I keep having?!" _

_The dragon put a claw to her lips to silence her. It was then that she saw the look in his eyes. There was pain and sadness in their depths. "Hush," he said gently, "Don't worry about it." _

_He turned to leave. Rose caught his wrist. "Wait!" she said, "Don't go. There's so much I want to ask you."_

_He pulled away from her. "No, Rose." he said sadly. There was something about him... he seemed so familiar... why couldn't she remember? He turned back to her, and there was pain in his voice as he said, "Trust me Rose, some things are better left forgotten."_

"_What? Are you saying my dreams are... memories?!" _

_He gently touched her face with his claw. "Oh, Rose." he said, and this time, she saw tears running down his face. "I wish I could tell you-"_

"_Tell me what?" _

_Then, he pulled her into his embrace..._

* * *

(The dream charm...) given to Jake in the episode Breakout, also used in episodes Half Baked and Dreamscape. (The hospital dream...) Rose first sees it in the episode Dreamscape. 


	10. Chapter 10 Captured!

Dragonfire

Chapter 10: Captured!

Rose woke, and looked around slowly. She was in a small cave, wrapped in a bright red jacket. The dragon was lying near the wall a few feet away, sound asleep. She got up slowly, and went over to him. By now, the noon sun was shining through the mouth of the cave, allowing Rose to see scratches and claw marks in the dragon's hide. He seemed exhausted. She gently ran her hand along his scales. He flinched as she touched a claw mark. "So," she said, "These are recent. What did you get yourself into to be hurt like this?"

"It's called saving your life." he said groggily, "I rescued you from those shades, remember."

"Shades... You mean those shadow things that attacked my family?!"

He raised his head slowly, and looked at her. "Rose, I'm sorry...," he said sadly, "If I'd only gotten there sooner, I could have-"

"Don't," she said, raising a hand to silence him, "It wasn't your fault. Those shades would've only caught you too. But, how did you manage to heal me? I thought I was dead."

"I didn't," he said, "My friends made you some healing potions and-" He stopped, and she saw pain in his eyes. He looked away from her.

Rose bent closer to him. "What is it?"

"The shades..." he said. His voice started shaking as he continued, "We went back to the hotel... my parents, they took my parents... my friends... Haley... Gramps... Fu... I tried, but I, I couldn't save them..." His whole body was shaking now. Rose put a hand to his face, turning it toward her. Tears streamed from the dragon's eyes. He wiped them away with the back of his claw, turning away from her again.

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'll help you save them." She said, "We'll find a way to rescue them, I promise."

"No, Rose." he said, getting his voice back under control, "Those shades are coming for me. They'll be here soon. You need to get out of here while you still can."

"I'm not leaving without you." she said firmly.

The dragon tried to push himself up, but he collapsed. He lay there, gasping for breath, too weak to move. "It's no use." he said, "I can't get up." He looked into her eyes. "Rose, you have to leave me. Get out of here and save yourself!"

"No!" she said, "I've already lost my family. I'm not gonna lose you too!" _Why was she arguing with him? _Said a voice in the back of her mind, _He was just a dragon. He got himself into this mess!_

_No! _She told herself fiercely_, He's not just a dragon! There's more to him then that! Besides, he saved my life, I owe him that much. _She didn't know why, but she knew she had to help this dragon. She couldn't lose him now.

"Please Rose," There was urgency in his voice now. "It won't do us any good if we both get caught!"

Suddenly, shades materialized all around them! Cold, cruel laughter echoed around the cave walls.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, you _fool_! Did you really think you could escape me so easily?!"

Rose turned. There, in the mouth of the cave, stood a female dragon with magenta scales.

"_Chang_," hissed the red dragon, "How did you find me so fast?!"

She smiled at him. "It wasn't very difficult, American Dragon. Surely you know how easily dragons can be tracked by scent?" she said, pointing to her snout.

Then she spotted Rose. "So," she said, "It seems your lady still lives." All of a sudden, two of the shades had Rose by the arms, and she found herself face to face with Chang. The old dragon put a talon under Rose's chin, turning the girl's face up to look at her. Chang smiled at the American Dragon. "Yes," she said, looking Rose over, "I can see why you fell for her. Such a shame that this will be the last time you ever see her." The shades released Rose, but before she could move; Chang got behind her and pressed a claw against the girl's throat.

"No! Rose!" cried the red. He struggled to reach her, but the shades held him down. "Let her go, Chang!" he called, "I'm the one you want!"

The old dragon smiled cruelly. "Indeed, American Dragon," she said, "but why should I take only one of you, when I can just as easily dispose of you both?"

"But she's not a threat to you!" said the American Dragon, "Just look at her!" He looked at Rose, her eyes were wide with fright.

"Dragon..." she choked. Chang's claw pressed harder into her throat.

"Chang," said the red, "let her go, and I'll come quietly. You can do what you want with me. Just don't hurt her."

Chang's smile broadened. "Interesting..." she said, "Very well, I accept." More shades appeared, this time with long coils of rope. She glanced at the dragon, then at the shades. "Bind him." she said. Rose looked on, but she could only watch as the shades swarmed upon the young dragon. They muzzled him, tying his claws and feet together, and his wings behind his back. The ropes were so tight that they opened small wounds where they rubbed against his scales. But he never struggled, and no sound escaped him. Tears welled in Rose's eyes as she looked at him, as his deep black eyes gazed back into hers. He was doing this to save her, but why? What good could come of it?

As the shades finished their work, Chang removed her claw from the girl's throat. She went over to where the other dragon lay. "Say goodbye to him, girl." she said, looking at Rose, "For tonight, will be his last." Darkness pooled at Chang's feet. Then, she and the shades began sinking into the floor, taking their prisoner with them.

Rose watched as they disappeared. She knew she had to do something, and fast! Her mind made up, she ran forward, and plunged into the darkness after them!...


	11. Chapter 11 In darkest hour

Dragonfire

Chapter 11: In Darkest Hour

In the sewers beneath Hong Kong...

"So, let me see if I've got this straight." said Jake's dad, "You and your entire side of the family are all magical shape-shifting dragons."

"Yes." said Susan.

"And magical creatures really do exist?"

"Yes."

"And you're a dragon, but you don't have powers."

"Yes."

"But both of our children have powers?"

"That's right."

"And Fu dog really is a magical talking dog?"

"You are correct Sir!" said Fu.

"You're not... angry at us, are you Dad?" asked Haley, still in dragon form.

Johnathan looked around at them all. They were in a cell-like room somewhere in the vast labyrinth of sewers. Loa Shi, Spud, Trixie, 88, 89, and Sun were also there; along with Rose's family. The dragons and Fu dog were chained to a wall by collars around their necks. The humans had been chained to other walls by their wrists.

Johnathan looked over at Haley, which wasn't very easy since he'd lost his glasses. "Angry?" he said, "Well, I am a little disappointed that you didn't tell me sooner, but angry? Haley, how could I be angry with you? Just look at how far you guys have come with your training! I'm just sorry I lost my glasses. I'd really like to see your dragon forms better."

"We were waiting for right time to tell you." said Susan, "but-"

"I'm still a little overwhelmed by this whole thing, but I think I understand why you didn't tell me." said Johnathan

"You do?" asked Loa Shi.

"Oh absolutely!" said Johnathan, "and believe me, I'd had done the same thing you guys did!"

"Look, I don't mean to break up this whole love fest and all that." said 88, "but don't you think we should be tryin' to figure out a way to get outta this mess!"

"Yeah," said 89, "How come you dragons haven't busted outta those chains yet?"

"We can't." said Sun, "These chains are reinforced with unicorn horn. The only thing that will break them is an energy bolt from one of your hunting staves."

"Yeah," said Trixie, "Problem is, we don't know what the shades did with 'em."

"Oh we're doomed!" cried Spud, "The Dark Dragon's gonna slay us all!"

"What!" yelled 89, "But I'm too young to be slain! I wanna live!"

"Oh put a sock in it!" said Violet, "We are not gonna die! All we need is a plan."

"Ok," said Fu, "Got any ideas?"

"Don't forget," said Loa Shi, "Jake is still out there, along with Rose."

"But, if everything you've told us is true." said Rose's father, "Then Rose doesn't remember what happened to her. So, how can she and your grandson possible help us?"

"Don't underestimate the American Dragon." said Loa Shi, "You'd be surprised at all the trouble he's gotten himself out of, and I've seen how resourceful your daughter can be. If anyone can find a way to rescue us, they can."

Just then, the cell door opened. Shades came in, dragging Jake's limp form behind them. The young dragon was still bound by ropes and unconscious. Chang swaggered in after them, still in dragon form.

"Well so much for that hope." said 89.

Chang gazed around at the prisoners, a smug look on her reptilian face. "It's over." she said, "The American Dragon has fallen, and soon the rest of you will join him."

"He's not dead yet!" said Fu, looking down at Jake.

"Perhaps not," purred Chang, "but it no longer matters. Soon my master shall dispose of you all; and then there will be no one to stop us from completing our plan!"

"And what is this plan?!" said Rose's father.

Chang smiled menacingly, "Our plan is quite simple really." she said, "Long ago, magical creatures once ruled the Earth, until_ humans_ forced us into hiding. But now, the Dark Dragon and I shall create an army of magical creatures. An army that will overthrow humanity so that we can take back our rightful place as rulers of the Earth!"

"You'll never get away with this!" said Susan.

"Just try to stop us." said Chang, silkily, "Oh, and don't worry, if my master is in a gracious mood, then your demise will be mercifully quick." And with that, she turned and left with the shades, shutting the door behind her.

Trixie looked at Jake's lifeless form, "Is he..."

"No," said Fu, "He's still alive, barely."

"There must be somthing we can do for him." said Rose's mother.

"Loa Shi," said Sun, "Can you move him over here? I might be able to help him."

Loa Shi moved toward Jake, but was stopped short by the chain attached to his collar. He curled his tail around his grandson, and pulled him towards them. Together, the three dragons cut through the ropes that bound him. Then Sun laid her claws on Jake's chest. Light energy gathered around her and flowed over the young red.

After what seemed like hours, though it may have been only minutes, Sun pulled away from him, looking tired. "I've done all I can." she said, "It's not much, but at least he'll survive."

"Yeah," said 89, dryly, "Until that Dark Dragon comes back and turns us all into fish bait."

"It's not over yet." said Haley, "Don't forget, Rose is still out there."

"I just hope she's alright." said Rose's mother...

* * *

(The only thing known to break unicorn horn is a blast from a Huntsclan staff.) see episode The Hunted. I added a forum to my accout. Please look at it. :) Thank's for all the reviews! I couldn't have gotten this far without your support:)


	12. Chapter 12 The return

Dragonfire

Chapter 12: The Return

Rose fell, the darkness pressing in on her. She struggled to get through it, but it pressed in even further. Her head started spinning, she couldn't breath, couldn't move...

Just as she thought she couldn't hold out any longer, the darkness released her.

Rose found herself in a sewer tunnel. She lay there, gasping for breath, but she knew she had to keep moving. _Come on, _Rose told herself, _You can't quit now, Dragon-boy needs you. Dragon-boy? Where did that come from?!_

She got up slowly, suddenly she heard something coming down the tunnel towards her! Rose ran down the tunnel and ducked into a nearby passage. She hid there until the sound was gone. She moved along the tunnel, rounded a corner- and came face to face Chang! The old dragon seemed startled for a moment, then glared down at Rose. "You!" she cried. Rose turned and ran, as Chang called out, "Shades! After her! I want her alive!"

Rose ran faster as the shades pursued her. She ran into a new tunnel and found herself trapped! She was in some sort of storage room, but the only things in the room were two green, double-bladed staves.

Rose stared at the weapons. She'd seen them before, but only from her dreams of the hunters and the dragons. Still, any weapon was better then nothing at all. She ran forward just as Chang appeared in the doorway. The dragon spat a fireball at Rose, and she fell hard; inches away from the staves, which were knocked over by the blast. The Asian Dragon advanced on her prey; as Rose tried desperately to reach the staff in front of her.

"I spared your life the last time we met." said Chang. Rose felt the dragon's foot press down on her back as Chang continued, "This time however, you won't be so fortunate!"

Chang got off Rose, and reared back for a final blow. At that moment, Rose lunged forward, seizing the staff just as Chang let loose a fireball! There was a blinding green flash, and Rose was gone...

Rose slowly opened her eyes. She was still alive, with the staff still in her hand. A faint green glow was coming from the staff's blade, which quickly faded. She looked around, and found herself in an abandoned subway station. _How did I get here? _She thought, _Where **is** here?_

"Hello, Huntsgirl."

Rose whirled, clutching the staff in a fighting stance. Standing in front of her were two girls, who looked about her age. One had black hair and a frown on her face; the other had blonde hair and smiled broadly at Rose. "Who are you, and why did you call me "Huntsgirl?"" asked Rose.

"Oh you don't know us," said the blonde girl with a giggle, "but we know you!"

"My name's Kara" said the black haired girl, "This is my sister, Sara."

"We're the Oracle Twins!" added Sara, beaming at Rose.

"Oracles?" asked Rose, "You mean, you two can see into the future?"

"Sort of." said Kara, "The thing is, I can only see the good stuff, and Sara can only see the bad stuff."

"O... k..." said Rose, a little confused, "But why did you call me "Huntsgirl"? That's what that Huntsmaster from my dream kept calling me."

"Did he say anything else to you?" asked Kara.

"No, but he showed me a vision, or something... it showed him stealing me from my parents right after I was born... After that, he said I'd done something to him, and then he tried to throw me off a cliff! If that Dragon-boy hadn't caught me..." _There was that name again. Why did she keep calling him that? _She stared hard at Twins, "You know something about all this, don't you?" she asked, suspiciously.

"You're right." said Kara, "That's why we're here. It's time for you to remember who you really are. The lives of your friends and family depend on it." She stared into Rose's eyes, "But I'm warning you now; once you start down this road, there's no turning back. Are you ready for this?

"If it helps me save my family, then yes." said Rose, "But first, would you mind telling me where we are?"

"You're back in New York!" said Sara, "Welcome to the new Huntslair! Or what's left of it anyway."

"_New_ Huntslair?" asked Rose, "Then what happened to old one?"

"The Huntsclan moved out of it." said Kara, "But we're wasting time here." She pointed to the staff in Rose's hand. "We need you to take us to where the rest of those are kept."

"What?" said Rose, "But how am I supposed to know that?!" But even as she said this, she found herself leading the Twins down a nearby passageway. She stopped when she came to a section of brick wall running along it.

"Good," said Kara, "Now open it."

"Open what?" asked Rose, but already, her hand was feeling over the bricks until she pushed at one of them. It slide further into the wall, and the entire wall slide open to reveal a room full of green, bladed staves and dark red uniforms.

"Ok," said Rose, staring at the Twins, "This is getting really weird. How do I keep knowing all this stuff?"

"You'll find out soon enough." said Kara, going into the room. She came back out with a bladed staff, and a uniform, complete with a ninja mask and a pair of boots. "Put these on." she said, handing the outfit to Rose. Rose went into a girl's restroom nearby, and came out a few minutes later. She was dressed in a dark red uniform with red, calf-high boots, a black belt, and a red mask that covered her face so that only her eyes were visible. Her hair, she had tied in a long braid behind her head. On the forehead of the mask and the belt buckle was bright red symbol in the shape of double-headed ax blade.

"That's a good look for you." said Sara, looking at her. Then she giggled again and said, "Now, we head to the combat room!"

"I think it's this way." said Rose, leading them down another hallway.

They entered a large square room, as Rose hit the light switch. The room was bare except for surveillance cameras and an observation deck.

"What are we doing in here?" asked Rose, then she looked at the staff Kara was holding, and her eyes went wide. "Oh no," she said, backing away, "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, forget it! There's no way I'm gonna fight you!"

Kara suddenly charged at her, swinging the staff high. Rose barely had time block with her own staff, before Kara pulled away and slashed at her again! Rose somersaulted into the air, the deadly blade sweeping harmlessly beneath her.

"Good!" said Kara, "But I know you can do better." She came at Rose again, slashing up, then bringing the staff down. Rose parried the attacks, backing away again. "I don't want to hurt you, Kara!" she called.

"It's not me you have to worry about." said Kara as she attacked again. This time, Rose was ready for it. She leapt into the air, somersaulting over Kara. Then with a low sweep of her staff, knocked the other girl's feet from under her. Kara fell hard and rolled onto her back, where she found Rose's blade at her throat. She smiled up at Rose, and it was the first time Rose had ever seen her smile. "Not bad." said Kara, "Keep that up and you might just be able to save them."

Rose pulled her staff away, and pulled Kara to her feet. Then, the huntress turned to leave. Suddenly, pain exploded in back of her skull! She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

Sara looked down at Rose, than at Kara, who's staff blade was smoking from the energy blast. "Wow," she said, " I totally didn't see that one coming! Why did you just do that?"

Kara looked down at Rose. "She'll thank me for it later." she said, "You might want to get her an ice pack though."...


	13. Chapter 13 Hunter's head, Dragon's heart

Dragonfire

Chapter 13: Hunter's Head, Dragon's Heart

_Rose was in darkness again. Images flashed before her. The dragons... the Huntsmaster... a young ninja huntress... and a boy... a boy who turned into a dragon... It was all coming back to her now! These weren't dreams at all! These were memories! _

_She had been the Huntsgirl, the Huntsmaster's apprentice. She remembered, how he had raised her and trained her in the ways of the Huntsclan. How she had been taught that it was her destiny to slay dragons. The birthmark on her hand... the Mark of the Huntsclan... That's why they'd taken her! _

_The red dragon... The American Dragon... he'd found out who she was... He'd revealed his human identity to her when she was going to slay him... She had to slay her first dragon to become a full member of the Huntsclan... Jake... Jake was the American Dragon! He'd tried to help her escape the Huntsclan, and stop the Huntsmaster from using the 13 Aztec crystal skulls to destroy all magical creatures! It was during that time that she had discovered the truth about her past. All her life, she'd been told that her perants were dead. Ever since she had seen that memory of the Huntsmaster stealing her away from her family; all she'd wanted to do was find them. Jake had offered to help her search, but it wasn't meant to be... _

_The Huntsmaster had found out about them working together. He'd blackmailed her, threatened to kill her family if she didn't betray the dragons and bring him Jake's Aztec skulls. She remembered what had happened next... They had fought over the skulls. The Huntsmaster's dragon's skull helmet had been destroyed when Jake had slammed him through an elevator door. Rose had fought Jake for the final crystal skull. She'd defeated him, and chained him up, giving the skull to Huntsmaster. He'd raised the skull into the air, so that beams of light connected all 13, and had called out, "By the Pantheon of Aztec Skulls, I hereby wish, for the destruction of all- AHHH!" Rose had shot him with her hunting staff, taken the skull in hand and finished, "The destruction of all Huntsclan!"_

_The Clan member's birthmarks had begun to glow. The Huntsclan members had been lifted into the sky and vaporized. Rose had freed Jake from his chains as he realized what she'd done. He returned to human form and looked at her, his eyes wide with shock. "Rose, why did you-?" _

_"I said there was only one way this could end Jake; and this is it, with the destruction of the Huntsclan." He gripped her shoulders, staring into her eyes as her words sank in._

_"But you're one of them. That means-"_

_"I know what it means." she said to him, "But even if we destroy the skulls, they know your human identity Jake. They'd find your family like they did mine." She put a hand to his face, gazing into his eyes. "This way, they'll be safe. They'll all be safe." Then, as she started to raise into the air, Jake grabbed her hand, trying to save her._

_"Rose, no!" _

_She looked down at him, gazing into his deep black eyes for the last time. _

_"Jake, let go." she__ said, "I'll be ok, I promise... I'll be ok..."_

_He let go of her. As she rose into the air, she heard him say, "We have to do something! We've gotta use the skulls to save her!" _

"_No way kid." said Fu, "Those skulls need to be destroyed. Their powers are just too dangerous."_

_Loa Shi said, "Jake, to use them for your own personal gain would be-"_

"_It wouldn't be for my own personal gain! It'll be for her's!" yelled Jake "She deserves a normal life, with a family that cares about her!" A few seconds later, she heard him cry out, "I wish Rose was never taken by the Huntsclan!"..._

Rose woke slowly, her whole head throbbing. She glared up at Kara. "I don't know whether to thank you or slay you." she said.

"You're welcome." said Kara.

"Oooh, that looks like it hurts." said Sara, handing Rose an ice pack.

"Gee," said Rose, sarcastically, "You think so?" She sat up, and put the ice pack to her head, glaring at Kara. "What were you thinking?!" she said, "You could've killed me!"

"Relax," said Kara, "I had it set on stun. Besides, it worked didn't it? You got all your memory back."

"Yeah!" added Sara, "Good thing too, 'cause you're gonna need it! Oh!" Her eyes flashed with a golden light.

"What?" asked Rose, "What is it?"

Sara looked at Rose. "I just had a vision!" she said excitedly, "I just saw you and Jake. Jake's gonna do something terribly awful!"

"What?!" said Rose, "What'd you mean? What's he gonna do?"

"I have no idea!" said Sara, then she giggled again, "But whatever it is, he does it to save you!" A dreamy look crossed her face, "That's so romantic..." she sighed.

"Save me from what?" asked Rose.

Sara giggled again, "I don't know, but you'll find out soon enough!"

"Look," said Kara, "I hate to break this up, but we'd better get going."

"We'd better hurry too!" said Sara, "I just had another vision! Jake and the others are in really big trouble!"

Rose led them back to the storage room and got a staff for Sara, then they headed for the teleportation room.

Kara and Sara stepped onto the teleporter platform, while Rose went to the control panel.

"I think I can get us back to Hong Kong." said Rose, as she worked the controls. "After that, we just need to find the others."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" asked Kara.

Rose left the room. A few minutes later she came back holding what looked like a small, golden globe. There was no map or stand on it. Instead, a grid-like pattern was etched into it, and a cone-shaped spike was at the top of it. It buzzed and crackled with golden energy as she held it up for the Twins to see. "Once we get back in the sewers," she said, "we can use this enchanted compass to track them down."

Rose started the teleportion sequence and jumped onto the platform.

As the telporter hummed into life, Rose turned to face the others. "Let's do this." she said. There was a flash of light, puffs of smoke, and they were gone...

* * *

To find out more about what happened between Jake and Rose, see episodes Ski Trip, The Hunted, Half Baked, The Academy, Breakout (which also has info about the Aztec skulls), Dreamscape, and Homecoming. note: Enchanted compasses were also used in the episodes Family Buisness, and Hero of the Hourglass.


	14. Chapter 14 Escape

Dragonfire

Chapter 14: Escape

They arrived in the sewers in a puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Rose held up the compass. "Where is the American Dragon?" she asked. The spike on the compass started to move. It pointed down a tunnel off to the right. "Let's go," said Rose, "but be careful."

As they walked on, she looked back at the Oracle Twins. "There's something I still don't get." she said, "If you two can see into the future, then why don't you know exactly what's going to happen?"

It was Kara who answered her. "Look," she said, "We may be descendants of the Oracle of Delphi, but that doesn't mean we can see _everything_ that's going to happen."

"You're descendants of the Oracle of Delphi?!" asked Rose.

"That's what I just said, isn't it." said Kara.

"So, have you guys ever been wrong about a vision?"

"Nope!" said Sara with a giggle, "Our visions always come true! Just not always in the way you expect."

"Can you tell me anything else about what's going to happen to Jake?"

"Sorry, but no!" said Sara, then she giggled again.

"Could you please stop doing that?" asked Rose, "It's giving me the creeps."

Just then, they came to four tunnels. Rose held up the compass. The spike pointed down the tunnel on the far left. "We'd better keep moving." she said...

The compass led them down many more twists and turns, as Rose lit the way with her hunting staff. They walked on in silence. The only sounds in the tunnels were of running water and their own footsteps. Just as Rose was starting to think they'd never find the others; she heard something up ahead.

Laughter echoed back along the tunnel; cold and cruel, but it wasn't Chang. This voice sounded deeper, and husky, this was a male's voice. As they crept closer toward the sound, the voice said, "So, American Dragon, we meet again. But this time, you will not escape me." The voice paused, then continued, "However, I _might_ consider sparing the lives of you and your... companions. _If,_ you reconsider my offer to join us."

Then Rose heard Jake's voice, weak but fierce, "Never." he said, "If you want them, you gotta get through me."

Laughter again, and then, "So be it."

An ear-splitting roar shook the tunnel! Rose heard snarls; walls being struck; Jake's cry of pain. "Come on!" she cried, racing down the tunnel. She stopped at a nearby entrance, stunned by what was inside. Jake was lying on the floor, gasping in pain, still in dragon form. Standing over him...but that couldn't be... there was no way a dragon could be _that_ big!

This dragon was four times the size of Jake. Huge and powerful, his scales, deepest black with dark blue belly scales and spines down his back. Four huge horns on his head, piercing blood red eyes, and huge, bat-like wings. There was only one creature it could've been... the Dark Dragon...

Rose looked again. She saw the others, chained to walls behind the two. Chang stood nearby, still in dragon form, watching the scene with a look of glee on her face. The other dragons were back in human form and had now been chained by their wrists. They had nets draped over them, which Rose quickly recognized as being made of sphinx hair. She knew they wouldn't be able to help. Sphinx hair was the one substance that left a dragon absolutely powerless. Then she looked back at the Dark Dragon.

He sneered as he looked down at Jake. "What say you now?!" he said harshly.

Jake glared back at him, his black eyes defiant. "Is that all you got?." he said boldly, "Bring it on, dirtball!"

The Dark Dragon snarled in anger. A taloned claw came down on the young dragon's neck, pinning him down. "You are mine now!" roared the Dark Dragon, "And there is no one who can save you this time!"

"Wanna bet!" Suddenly an energy blast knocked him away from Jake. Rose stood in the entrance, her staff blazing, flanked on both sides by Kara and Sara who held their staves ready.

"_Foolish human!_" snarled the Dark Dragon, getting to his feet and glaring at Rose. "Who do you think you are to _dare_ challenge me?!"

"I am Huntsgirl!" called Rose, "Last of the Huntsclan!"

"Impossible!" roared Chang. "All the Huntsclan are dead! Save for these two idiots." she said, pointing to 88 and 89.

"I know you are, but what am I?!" said 89, as 88 stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh really?" said Rose, looking at Chang. "Then you don't recognize _this_?!" Then she held up her right hand, palm out, so that the dragon-shaped birthmark was clearly visible.

"So..." hissed Chang, "You are of the Huntsclan... But why are you here? Surely you wouldn't be foolish enough to fight us _alone_."

"I've come for the American Dragon and the others." said Rose, "I'll give you a choice: Let them go, or be slain."

Both Chang and the Dark Dragon laughed at this.

"_You?!_" laughed the Dark Dragon, "You think yourself a match for me?! Heh heh heh heh heh, very amusing. You have courage young one, but that will not be enough to save you."

"Who said I was fighting you alone?" asked Rose, raising an eyebrow at him. "Guys! Now!" Suddenly, Rose and the Twins fired their hunting staves; shooting through the chains that held the others captive. The dragons threw off the nets and transformed; just as shades appeared all around them! As the others fought off the shades, the Dark Dragon charged at Rose, roaring in fury. A blast from her hunting staff knocked him against the wall, where he lay stunned. Chang came at Rose, but she too was knocked back. "Everyone! This way!" called Rose, leading the way down the tunnel. The others followed her as quickly as they could, with the shades close behind them.

They kept running until they came to a larger room, with more tunnels branching out of it.

"Which way?" asked Jake. But before Rose could answer, the Dark Dragon and Chang came out of the tunnel in front of them, as shades blocked the other exits. Now there was no way out. They were trapped...

* * *

(About the Oracle Twins...) see episode Body Guard Duty. (Sphinx hair's effect on dragon powers...) see episode Eye of the Beholder.


	15. Chapter 15 Hidden power

Dragonfire

Chapter 15: Hidden Power

"So," said the Dark Dragon, looking at Rose, "It seems the Hunter has now become the Hunted." He looked around at the shades, "Seize them!" The shades rushed forward to attack!

Loa Shi, Sun and Haley tried to protect Jake and Rose's families; while Spud, Trixie and Fu dog had gotten themselves cornered. As the shades closed in, Spud come forward, pulling a yo-yo from his pocket. "I'm warnin' you!" He said, "I've got a yo-yo, and I know how to use it!"

"Oh sure," said Fu, "Want're ya' gonna do? Walk the dog and hope they just fall over?!"

Suddenly, Spud charged into the shades, twirling his yo-yo around his head; striking out at the shades, left and right. When the shades had been defeated, he smiled back at Fu and Trixie and said, "Told 'em I knew how to use it."

"Yeah!" said Trixie, "Those shades'll think twice before messin' with us!"

Meanwhile, 88 and 89 were trapped in another corner. "I'm warnin' you, shades. You do not wanna mess with us!" said 88.

"Yeah!" said 89, "'Cause we're fearless dragon-slayers! We'll whip your sorry backsides into submission!"

"Yeah, we'll be all Pow! Bam! Hi-ya! And you'll be all 'No, spare us, mighty numbers 88 and 89!' And we'll be all 'You're goin' down shades!'" said 88. The shades looked at each other, then glared menacingly at the two. 88 jumped into 89's arms, and they both screamed like little girls! Suddenly, Kara and Sara jumped in front of them and started fighting off the shades. As the boys looked on, 89 got a dreamy look on his face.

"88," he said, looking at Kara, "I think I'm in love." 88 just stared at him in shock. When the shades had been defeated, 89 dropped 88 and came up to Kara. "So," he said "You wanna hang out some time?"

"You need a new hobby." said Kara, walking away from him.

"Well, if it makes you feel better," said Sara to 89, "I think you're cute! By the way, you're both gonna get beat up next month!" she giggled and added, "But I still think you're cute! I hope you guys have health insurance!"

Rose found herself fighting back-to-back with Jake. "Nice to have ya' back, Huntsgirl." he said.

"It's good to be back, Dragon-boy." she replied.

As the shades attacked, she and Jake started combining their Kung Fu moves. He did a tail sweep, while she did a spinning kick. She drop kicked, while he leapt over her and blasted a shade with his dragon-fire. Their movements were graceful and fluid, as if they were dancing. Their combinations flawless, as if each knew what the other was thinking. Then he grabbed her wrists, swinging her onto his back as he took flight. While he circled overhead, breathing fire at the shades; she was on his back, blasting them with her hunting staff.

For a moment, it seemed like the battle was their's. But the shades didn't seem to get any fewer. In fact, there seemed to be more of them then from when the fight began! "It's no use!" cried Sun, as she and the others tried to hold the shades off. "We're outnumbered!" Fire struck Jake's left wing, knocking them from the air. The shades were on them instantly and soon had them subdued. They pulled Rose and Jake to their feet, with their arms behind their backs. The others were soon captured likewise.

Chang came up to Rose. "Now," she said, "Let's see who is really behind that mask." Rose struggled, but the shades were too strong for her. Chang slipped a claw under Rose's mask, and pulled it off. Her eyes flashed as she stared at the girl in front of her. "_You._" she said.

"Yeah," said Rose, "_Me._"

"Why would a Huntsclan member risk her life to save a dragon?" asked Chang, glaring at her.

"Because," said Rose, looking Chang straight in the eyes, "_Nobody_ hurts my boyfriend and gets away with it."

Chang seemed taken aback by this, but then she smiled wickedly, "I thought so." she said.

"I knew it!" yelled 88, "I knew there was somethin' goin' on between them!"

"Hah! Rose is in love with dragon!" crowed 89. Then they broke into a chorus of, "Rose and her boyfriend sittin' in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-" But they both stopped short as Rose gave them an I'm-going-to-hurt-you glare.

"You're the ones who betrayed me to the Huntsmaster!" she said, "You showed him that security tape of me talking to Jake in his dragon form!"

"Well you deserved it!" said 88, "Helping that dragon-boy get the crystal skulls, while playin' "little-Miss-innocent" to the Huntsmaster and makin' us look like idiots!"

"You didn't need my help for that." said Rose, "Though why he picked you two as his new apprentices is beyond me. How did you survive my Wish anyway?"

"Easy," said 89, "We quit the clan before the vortex sucked us up. Bet you wish _you'd_ thought of that! Oh, that's right, you_ couldn't_ quit the Huntsclan!"

"Enough!" roared the Dark Dragon, "It's time to end this." He came up to Rose. "_You._" he growled, "You've been a thorn in my side ever since you got here."

"I'm not surprised." she said, smirking at him, "My name is _Rose_, after all."

"Rose..." he mused, "The name suits you well." He put a talon against her throat. Rose's parents and Jake, seeing this, tried to throw off the shades holding them.

"Leave her alone!" yelled Rose's mother.

The Dark Dragon glared at her. "You think _you_ can stop me?"

"Maybe they can't." said Jake, "But I can!" Suddenly, he broke free of the shades and lunged at the Dark Dragon! The older dragon was slammed into the wall as Jake crashed into him. But then, the black dragon had Jake by the throat, slamming him into the floor. The blow left him dazed, and he went limp. The Dark Dragon lifted Jake and slammed him against the wall, pinning him. Loa Shi and the others fought their captors, trying to reach Jake, but it was no use. The earlier fight had drained their strength. They could do nothing for him now.

Jake struggled feebly, but he knew it was useless. He looked up, staring into those cold red eyes. The Dark Dragon smiled at him, and Jake felt a claw against his throat.

"Goodbye, American Dragon."

"_NO!_"

Rose fought against the shades with all the strength she had. She'd nearly lost Jake once. She was _NOT _going to lose him again! The fight before had left her drained, but now, it felt as though fire was coursing through her, lending her strength. Power surged through her, fire burning in her veins. She doubled over, searing pain in her chest. Every nerve was on fire. She opened her mouth, but instead of a scream, an ear-piercing roar tore from her throat! Rose knew she had to do something. The power was burning her! It was so overwhelming she could hardly bear it! Blinded by pain, she vaguely heard the others calling her name.

_Jake... _She heard him, calling out to her. In that instant, two words flashed in her mind, and she heard herself cry out,

_"DRAGON UP!" _

White fire suddenly appeared, racing over her until she was completely engulfed by flames. Then, it vanished, and where Rose had been moments before... was a dragon...


	16. Chapter 16 Truth and circumstance

Dragonfire

Chapter 16: Truth and Circumstance

"Well what do you know." said Kara, "I actually didn't see that coming."

"Wow..." said Sara, "She's so beautiful..."

A female dragon was before them. She stood up, looking down at herself. She was tall and slender, yet graceful. The dragon's scales were purest white. The scales down her belly were a dark, rose-colored pink, with golden spines running down her back. She had huge, feathered wings, and these too were white. Her claws were a soft grey, but the mark on her hand was red as blood against her scales. She seemed to glow with a faint, inner light. But it was her eyes that were the most noticeable. Deep, ocean blue eyes, eyes that Jake knew instantly.

"Rose..."

She looked at him. "Jake? Wh- What happened to me?"

"Rose...you're...you... just turned into a dragon..."

"Impossible!" roared Chang, "No mere_ human_ can possess dragon powers!"

"Rose, is no ordinary human."

Everyone turned toward the voice. It was Rose's father who had spoken.

"Dad?" said Rose, staring at him, "You- You mean you knew about this?" She stared at him harder, as though really seeing him for the first time. "Are you saying... you have powers too?"

He shook his head, "No," he said, "The dragon power skipped my generation, as it did with Jake's mother. But your grandmother, she had dragon powers. I'd always intended to tell you and your sister, but, to be honest, I wasn't sure if you'd even inherit them."

"Cool! Does this mean I'll be able to do that?" asked Violet, looking at Rose.

"Only time will tell." said Loa Shi, "It is true, that dragon powers in a bloodline will skip every few generations, but no one can be certain who will get them next. It may be that only Rose inherited them."

"But Gramps," said Jake, and upon hearing this, the Dark Dragon promptly released him; apparently, the older dragon was just as intrigued by this as the rest of them. Jake moved a safe distance away from him and continued, "I got my dragon powers at 13, and Haley got hers at 7, so why is Rose just now getting her's?"

"She has always had them, Jake." said Loa Shi, "Just as you and Haley have always had your's. Most young dragon's powers don't reveal themselves until age 13, if they have them at all. However, there are exceptions. Haley, for instance, discovered how to harness her powers at a younger age then you did. It would seem that Rose's powers were dormant because she never had a need to use them."

"Not that this isn't all, very fascinating." interrupted Chang, "But it's time we got back to destroying you!" She suddenly lunged at Rose! Rose tried to dodge, but it was too late. Chang hit her full force, slamming her into the wall! The shock from the impact made Rose return to her human form. Chang raised a claw to strike, but was blasted away by Sun's dragon-fire. While Loa Shi had been talking, the shades had loosened their hold on the prisoners, just enough for them to break free! Now the battle was on again! Rose saw Jake get pinned down by shades. She ran toward him, but Chang blocked her path. "Not this time_ human_!" she snarled. She pounced. Again, Rose tried to dodge, but the dragon's strength had left her. Chang pinned her easily. Soon, the others had been recaptured as well.

The Dark Dragon came over to Jake, who was still pinned by shades. He stared down at younger dragon, and Jake met his gaze. "Go on then." said Jake, as he stared into death's eyes. "What are you waiting for?"

The older dragon looked down at him, then said to the shades, "Let him up." Immediately, they obeyed. Jake got up, staring at the Dark Dragon in disbelief.

"What's you game here?" he asked, "If you want to slay me, why don't you just do it?"

"To slay you that way would have been too easy." the Dark Dragon said, then he slammed Jake against the wall again! Then the evil dragon spat fire into his claw. "I want you to look me in the eyes when I slay you." He pulled his claw back to throw the fireball, and looked Jake straight in the eyes.

"Any last words?"

Jake met his gaze. He knew he was going to die. Those cruel, heartless eyes were telling him so. But, even then he still felt hope. Even if he was slain, he might still be able to save the others. "Wait!" he said, "Don't I even get a last request?"

The Dark Dragon's eyes narrowed.

Jake continued, "Surly a great dragon like yourself would grant a last request? I mean, you're gonna slay me anyway. You might as well humor me a little before I die. Besides, knowin' you, it'll be a slow and painful death anyway; and wouldn't it make your revenge even better if you heard a last request outta me first?"

The black dragon studied him for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face. He crushed the fire in his claw, and it went out as he said, "You're right. It will be a slow and painful death. Very well... I suppose I could hear this "last request"."

"Good,"said Jake, "Here it is; I want you to let the others go free, and unharmed," He looked at them, "I, don't want them to see this. It'll be bad enough for them knowing what you'll do to me."

The Dark Dragon looked around at them as well. "And why should I let them live, when I can slay them just as easily?"

"Well," said Jake, "just look at them. Our parents and my friends don't have any dragon powers. Haley's too young and small to be any threat to you. Sun... Well she doesn't even _like_ fighting, so no threat there. And you know 88 and 89 are complete idiots."

At this, 88 and 89 both said "Hey!" and glared at Jake.

He continued, "Kara and Sara, well they're oracles, what's so threatening about them? And let's face it, my grandpa sure isn't gettin' any younger." Here he whispered, "Sorry Gramps." Then said in a louder voice, "You know Fu dog's no threat to you, and Rose doesn't even know _how _to use her powers. Her sister probably doesn't even have powers!"

The Dark Dragon listened carefully, looking at each of them in turn. Then he looked back at Jake. "You've convinced me. I will let them go, unharmed."

"There's two more things." said Jake, "I don't what to be slain like this. If you're gonna slay me; then I wanna go down fighting. I want you to fight me, by yourself. With no help from Chang or the shades."

The older dragon smiled at this. "Agreed." he said, "And the final request?"

"I... I just wanna say goodbye... to Rose and the others..."

"Very well..." he said. Then, he let go of Jake.

Chang let Rose up, and Rose went over to Jake. "Jake, don't do this." she said.

Jake put a claw to her face. "I have to." he said, gazing into her eyes.

"But he'll kill you!" She took his claws in her hands. "I'll stay with you." she said, "You'll have a better chance of surviving if I fight with you." He squeezed her hands gently, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Listen to me." he said, "it don't matter what happens to me, as long as you and the others are safe."

"It matters to me." she said firmly. Then, Loa Shi and others came up to them. After saying goodbye to each of them in turn, Jonhathan came forward and put hand on Jake's shoulder.

"Jake," he said, "No matter what happens, I just want to know; I couldn't be more proud of you then I am now. Now go beat down that dragon's sorry tail!"

Then, Jake turned to his grandfather. "I guess this is it." he said, "Goodbye, Gramps..."

The elder dragon, put a claw on his grandson's shoulder, then pulled him into a hug. "Be careful, young dragon," he whispered, "and Good Luck."

Jake pulled away from him. "Take care of the others," he said, "especially Rose."

"I will." he said, "I promise."

"Gramps, listen." Jake whispered, "I don't trust the Dark Dragon to keep his word. You need to get everyone out of these tunnels as fast as you can."

"I'll make sure of it." he said, looking straight into Jake's eyes.

As they turned to leave, 89 said to Jake, "Well, Dragon-boy, it's been nice knowin' ya'. Well, not really, but you know what I mean."

Then 88 added, "Good Luck, you're gonna need it."

As they left down one of the tunnels, Rose stopped, looking back at Jake. Loa Shi gently took her by the arm and led her away. "Come Rose," he said softly, "The best thing we can do for him now, is to get the others to safety"...


	17. Chapter 17 Fire and water

Dragonfire

Chapter 17: Fire and Water

After the others had left, the Dark Dragon turned to face Jake. "Now, we will finish this." he said. They started circling each other.

Jake met his gaze. "Remember your promise." he said, "No help from Chang or the shades, and no tricks."

"Tricks?" said the Dark Dragon. He put a claw to his chest in mock dismay, "You wound me. I may be many things, boy," he said, then his eyes flashed, "but I _always _keep my word." A wave of his claw, and the shades vanished. Chang stood nearby, looking on in silence.

Suddenly the Dark Dragon lunged at Jake! He dodged, but the Dark Dragon's claws tore at his already burned wing. Jake attacked, the Dark Dragon parried. They broke apart, circling again.

"You fighting skills have improved." said the Dark Dragon, "Impressive, but you still have no hope of defeating me."

"We'll just see about that." said Jake. He spat fire at the black dragon, and attacked again. This time, his claws scored a slash on the Dark Dragon's chest. The other dragon glanced down at the shallow wound, then glared at Jake.

"You'll pay for that." he said. He took flight; a huge jet of flame shooting from his mouth! Jake tried to dodge, but the flames scorched his side. He roared in pain. The Dark Dragon dove, slamming his shoulder into Jake; smashing the young red against the wall! Jake struggled, but the fight before had drained his strength. The Dark Dragon had him trapped...

Meanwhile, Loa Shi was leading the others down the tunnel. Rose was the last, acting as a rear guard for the group. Suddenly, she stopped; a cold feeling of dread washed over her. Rose turned, staring back down the way they had come. Something was wrong. She could feel it, like an ice cold grip on her heart. Something was happening to Jake...

Jake cried out in pain, as the Dark Dragon slashed him. He was still pinned, trapped by the larger dragon's claw. Jake had his own claws on the evil dragon's wrist, trying desperately to free himself.

The Dark Dragon bent his head closer to Jake and hissed, "I'm going to enjoy slaying you, after all the trouble you've caused me."

Jake glared back at the older dragon. "Go ahead, give me your best shot!" Then he spat fire into the black dragon's face!

The Dark Dragon roared in pain and stumbled back, releasing Jake and trying to rub the burning embers out of his eyes.

Jake took that moment to charge the other dragon head on! But the Dark Dragon caught him in mid-air and threw him to the floor. Jake rolled away just as the evil creature's massive tail slammed down right where been seconds eariler.

Again the red dragon launged at his foe, but the huge tail came swinging straight at him! He had no time to dodge as the blow struck his ribs, knocking him back against the wall. Jake found himself pinned to against the wall by that tail, as the Dark Dragon towered over him.

"Any last words?"

The young dragon glared up into those hate filled eyes, gasping for breath. Jake's lungs felt like they were on fire, and, judging from the pain in his side, he had a few cracked ribs as well. His head was swimming from pain and lack of oxygen, and the Dark Dragon's tail pressing against his chest wasn't helping.

One thing he did know. He'd fought his hardest, and if it had to end like this, at least he could take some comfort in knowing that his friends and family were safe.

Jake lay his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes. The concrete felt cool against his scales, trickles of water were running from cracks where he'd struck it...

_Water?_ Then it clicked, if there was water coming from the wall, then there must be water _behind_ the wall! His eyes snapped open as he glanced around quickly, then spotted something behind and above the Dark Dragon's head. It was large metal pipe, and on it, written in large, red letters, were the words: DANGER! WATER UNDER HIGH PRESSURE!

Suddenly the Oracle Twin's warning flashed in his mind. _"Watch out for water mains."_ That was it! With the last of his strength, Jake shot the hottest fireball he could muster!

The Dark Dragon ducked, the fireball rushing harmlessly past him. He sneered down at Jake. "You missed." he said.

The young dragon cocked an eyebrow at him, "Did I?"

Puzzled, the other dragon looked up; just in time to see the fireball blast a hole in the water pipe!

Jake shoved the Dark Dragon's tail off him and rolled away, just as the water slammed the black dragon into the wall! The cracks in the wall started to widen, the water spraying out with more force.

_"You fool!" _roared Chang, "On the other side of that wall is the harbor! You'll flood the entire sewer!" She tackled Jake, rearing back to blast him with her dragon-fire. Suddenly an energy blast knocked her away from him!

"_Keep your filthy claws off my boyfriend!"_

Jake raised his head slowly, to find Rose standing in the tunnel entrance, her staff blazing with fierce, green energy. She came over and helped him to his feet. "Rose..." he said weakly, "You've gotta get out of here... this whole sewer's about to flood!"

"I'm not leaving without you." she said. Just then, the entire wall gave way as the water blasted through it! Jake had just enough time to grab hold of Rose, before they were swept away by the rushing water...

Meanwhile, Loa Shi and the others had come to a dead end in the tunnel. They felt the tunnel start to shake. Then Sara cried out, "This tunnel's gonna flood with water in exactly 90 seconds!"

"Oh, we're doomed!" yelled Spud.

"Not if we can help it!" said 89. He grabbed the hunting staves from Sara and Kara, and threw one to 88. "Come on 88, we gotta teleport outta here!"

"Are you crazy, fool! We can't teleport! We can't even do a Shield Spell with these things yet!"

"Yeah! Well there's a first time for everything!" yelled 89, "On the count of three! One... Two... Three!" In that instant, the blades of both staves struck the floor. At the points where the blades made contact, two green spheres of light formed, expanding until they combined and completely engulfed the group. There was a bright green flash, and they were gone, just as the water came crashing down on spot where they had been. Another flash, and they found themselves above ground in an alleyway, safe.

"It worked!" yelled 89, "We're alive!" He looked around quickly, "Wait a minute... Where's Rose?" Then, Loa Shi heard something coming from a nearby manhole. He ran over to it, ripping the cover off with his claws. Fear clutched his heart as he looked down into the sewer.

Jake had grabbed onto the service ladder with one claw, and was straining to keep his grip on it. Rose was clinging to his chest, his other arm curled protectively around her, as he tried to keep their heads above the surging water. Loa Shi climbed down the ladder head first, reaching out toward Jake. "Grandson! Up here!" he called.

Jake looked up, "Gramps!" he cried.

"Jake!" called Loa Shi, "Curl your tail around Rose and give me your other hand!" With much difficulty Jake managed to wrap his tail around Rose; looping it around his waist to hold her to him. Then he stretched out his arm, trying to reach his grandfather. Suddenly, the Dark Dragon came rushing towards them! As he swept past them, he suddenly sank his claws into Jake's flank, raking them along the young dragon's side! Jake roared in pain and lost his hold on the ladder! As the water rushed over them, Loa Shi's roar of anguish, was the last thing they knew...


	18. Chapter 18 When all seems lost

Dragonfire

Chapter 18: When All Seems Lost...

Loa Shi pulled himself out of the sewer. "Dad!" called Susan, as she and the others came up to him, "What happened?! Did you find them?"

The old dragon looked at her, then shook his head sadly. "I couldn't reach them." he said, "I almost had them, but then... the Dark Dragon..." he stopped, turning away from her. "It was my duty as a DragonMaster to protect my student, more so because he is my grandson; and I've failed..."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "You haven't failed anyone. We'll find them, we have to."

"But how?" asked Kara, "We lost the enchanted compass."

"Enchanted compass?" mused Fu, "Wait a minute! I know just the guy who can help us!" With that, he dug his cell phone out of his fur and started dialing. There was a few moments silence, and then he said, "Hey, Marty! Yeah, it's me Fu. Listen, we got a dragon emergency goin' on here, and we're in need of your, uh... unique assistance."

Over the phone they heard a voice say, "Don't worry pal, I'll be there as soon as I can." Then, Fu hung up the phone. A few minutes later, storm clouds rolled in. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground right in from of them! When the smoke had cleared... they found the Grim Reaper standing before them...

88 and 89 started screaming again, and jumped into Loa Shi's arms. He promptly dropped them.

"Hey Marty." said Spud.

"Hey there Marty, how's it hangin'?" asked Trixie. Rose's and Jake's parents looked at them in shock.

"You _know_ this guy?!" asked Violet.

Fu went up the hooded figure, turned back to everyone and said, "For those of you who don't already know 'em, this is my ol' pal, Marty, the Grim Reaper."

"Hey there folks." said Marty, "Sorry about the big, dramatic entrance, but you know how is; I got a reputation to uphold." He looked down at Fu, "So what's the big emergency?"

"Bad news, Marty." said Fu. "Jake and his girlfriend, Rose, just got swept away in a flood."

"So, Jake's got himself a girlfriend." said Marty, "Wish _I _had that kinda luck."

"Yeah, but that's not the worst of it." said Fu, "Now they're trapped down there with the Dark Dragon!"

"Wait a minute," said Johnathan, "just hold on here! How is the Grim Reaper supposed to help us find our kids?!" He glanced at Marty. "No offense."

"None taken," said Marty, "I'm used to this sorta thing."

"Well the thing is," said Fu, "Marty here, knows the location of any souls that are, uh... in mortal danger."

"Yeah," said Marty, "but that doesn't always mean I'm gonna get the call. It's more like a professional courtesy, so to speak. I heard about Jake and Rose right after you called me." He pulled an enchanted compass from inside his robes and handed it to Loa Shi. "This'll tell you where they are. I just hope you get to 'em before I do."

"Thank's again Marty." said Fu.

"I'm just tryin' to help." said Marty. There was another lightning flash, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke...

Rose woke slowly, the last thing she remembered, was being washed down a tunnel; a dragon's roar ringing in her eyes, clinging to Jake for dear life... Jake! Where was he?! She sat up and looked around, frantic. They were in another part of the sewers, a room like the one they had just been in. Then she saw him, "Jake!"

He was unconscious, lying on his back a few yards away. She was at his side in moments. She knelt down beside him, tears spilling from her eyes as she looked at him. He was barely breathing and his chest severely slashed. His left wing and side were burned black, and the wing was badly torn. His right wing was bent at a strange angle. She was sure it was broken; and there were vicious claw marks and bruises down his right side. She laid a hand against his right side, and he snarled in pain. She was sure then, that at least two of his ribs were broken.

"Oh, Jake..." She cradled the young dragon in her arms, holding him to her.

His eyes opened slowly. "Rose...?" She could barely hear him.

"I'm here." she said, "I've got you."

He tried to get up, but she held him still. "Don't, try to move..." she said, fighting back sobs.

He lay back in her arms, gazing up at her. "Listen, Rose..." he said, "If I don't make it-"

"Don't talk like that!" She said fiercely, "You're gonna be alright!" But even as she said this, she knew it was a lie.

Jake shook his head, looking into her eyes. "We both know that isn't true..." he said. "The Dark Dragon'll find me soon... you have to leave me... save yourself, Rose..."

"No." she said, "I won't leave you this time; if you stay, then I stay."

"Please, Rose!" he said, "You can't save me... Get out of here while you still can!"

"I won't just let you die like this!" she said, looking straight into his eyes. Jake sighed heavily, he knew that look; knew that nothing he said would change her mind about this.

"Oh, Rose..." He gently put a claw to her face.

"How very touching..."

They both looked up. The Dark Dragon was standing a few feet away from them. "You would have done well to listen to him, girl." he said, "Now, it's too late."

Rose laid Jake on the floor, and stood between him and the Dark Dragon. She took a fighting stance and said, "If you want him, then you gotta get through me."

"Give up, girl." he growled, "Look at him. He's dying. We both know it. I'd give him two more hours at best."

"Even if he is," said Rose, "I won't let you slay him!"

"Fool," said the Dark Dragon, "Then you shall join him!" He suddenly lunged at her! She dodged, again placing herself between him and Jake.

"You'll have to do better then that!" she said, glaring at him. He lunged again, this time knocking her to the ground with a swipe of his claw. She rolled away; his claw striking the floor right where her head had been a split-second earlier. Rose pushed herself up on all fours; her sides heaving. The fights before had drained nearly all her strength. By now she was exhausted, and the Dark Dragon knew it.

"Your strength is failing, Huntsgirl." he said to her, "You know you can't keep this up much longer." Rose didn't answer. She stayed there, her head bowed, gasping for breath. Then she noticed something, the floor here was covered with wet sand, and it gave her an idea. She kept her head bowed, while grabbing a handful of sand. She heard the Dark Dragon coming closer. _That's it. _She thought, _Let him think he's won... Just a little bit closer..._

"Why don't you save us both the trouble." he said, coming closer. "Just bare your throat to me now, and I'll make it quick. It might even be painless, if you don't struggle." He came closer... She raised her head slowly, exposing her neck. "That's it..." he hissed, "Now hold still, and it will all be over." He bent down to look at her, raising a talon to her throat. Suddenly, she threw the sand in his face! He reared back, roaring in pain, and rubbing at his eyes. She leapt into the air and did a spinning kick, knocking him backwards into the wall.

He rubbed the sand out of his eyes and glared at her. "Tricky little thing, aren't you?" he said.

She flashed a smile at him. "Were you expecting anything less?"

"I grow weary of this." he said, "It's time to end it!" He pounced, but this time, Rose was too slow to dodge. She landed heavily on her back with him on top of her. She struggled wildly, but he grabbed her wrists, pinning her. She fought harder, finally maneging to free one hand, and delivered a solid punch to the black dragon's jawbone!

He reeled back, snarling in pain and anger. Rose got out from under him as brought both claws slamming into the floor in an attempt to crush her. He swiped a claw at again, but she ducked, getting around behind him and jumping onto his back. His claw found her wrist and he threw her off! She tucked into a roll across the floor, and came up in a crouch.

Almost immedently after that she flattened herself on the ground as a jet of flame shot towards her head, but the Dark Dragon's tail caught her off gaurd. She didn't see it coming until it was too late...

* * *

To find out how the gang first met Marty, see episode Family Buisness. p.s. Has anyone been able to figure out the meaning of the Oracle Twin's prophecy yet:)


	19. Chapter 19 Sacrifice

Dragonfire

Chapter 19: Sacrifice

When she opened her eyes again, it was to find herself face-to-face with the Dark Dragon. He had her pinned on her back, his claws digging into her shoulders.

"You're awake." he hissed, "Good. I want you to know when I slay you."

"You won't get away with this." she said, glaring at him. "The others will come for us!"

"So they shall..." he said, "but they will be too late."

"Not while I still live!" she snarled, "Dragon up!"

Nothing happened...

The Dark Dragon laughed at the look of shock on her face. "Foolish girl," he jeered, "You don't even know_ how_ to summon your powers, do you?" Rose didn't answer, glaring at him.

"Ha! I thought not." He gazed at her, thoughtfully. "You have to see the form in your mind." he said, "You have to want it more then anything; to _become _it!" Then he sneered at her. "Ah, but why am I telling you this? You're one of the Huntsclan. You would _never_ accept the power willingly."

"That's _EX-_Huntsclan to you!" With that, she brought her legs up under his belly and kicked hard; knocking him into another wall. He lay there, dazed. Rose got up, putting herself between him and Jake again.

The young huntress closed her eyes; trying picture the dragon in her mind. Instantly, she thought of Jake and other dragons. She thought of their power, of their speed and agility. She thought of their fire, of their grace in flight.

Jake, Loa Shi, Sun, Haley... They were counting on her... She _couldn't _fail them now! Then, she felt something... _Fire... _It was the same feeling that had consumed her before; that same awful burning... but she had to accept it; it was the only way she could save Jake... The feeling grew more intense, the fire racing through her. Knowing what she had to do, she surrendered to it completely. "Dragon Up!"

White fire raced over her, until it covered her completely. When it was gone, the white dragon stood in her place.

She opened her eyes, looking down at herself in amazement. "I did it!" she crowed, "I actually did it!"

"Congratulations." said the Dark Dragon, standing up and brushing himself off, "but your celebration shall be short lived!" They started circling each other, Rose keeping herself between him and Jake. The black dragon lunged at her. She came forward to meet him. He grappled with her as he said, "Even with your powers, you are still no match for me! Having the power is one thing. _Controlling _it, is another matter entirely." His tail came around and tripped her. She rolled away as he spat fire at her.

"Alright," she said, "No more Miss nice girl." Taking a deep breath, she felt the heat of the dragon-fire expanding within her throat. Flames shot from her mouth as she blow out! Surprisingly, it didn't hurt like she thought it would. Then she remembered,_ Duh, _she told herself, _of course it won't hurt, the inside of your mouth is fireproof now! _The Dark Dragon had to duck to avoid the blast.

"Now bad," He said, "for a hatchling."

"Who are you calling 'hatchling?!'" growled Rose. This time, she spat fire into her claw and threw it at him. He dodged again, this time taking flight. "You wouldn't get away from me that easily!" said Rose, flapping her wings and taking off after him.

They met in mid-air, grappling again. "You know you can't save him." The Dark Dragon said, looking down at Jake. "You've failed!"

"That's not true!" she snarled.

"Isn't it?" he said, looking into her eyes. "Face it Huntsgirl! You came here to save him; and now he's dead. But not to worry," He smiled at her, "You will soon be joining him!" He suddenly broke the grapple, slashing at her with his claw. She reared back, roaring in pain. Then he spat a huge jet of flame at her. The fire struck her chest; knocking her out of the air. She fell, landing on her back. He dove, pinning her again. Suddenly, a blast of fire knocked him away from her. Rose lay there, stunned.

The Dark Dragon got to his feet, staring in disbelief. "_You! _But that's impossible! You were dead!"

Jake was standing before him, leaning against the wall for support. He glared at the black dragon and said, "I may be weak, but I'm not dead yet!" He went over to Rose, kneeling down beside her. He laid a claw on her forehead, and her eyes opened slowly.

"Jake? But, you're dead... Or, did I die too?"

"No." he said gently, taking her in his arms. "I'm not dead, and neither are you."

She put a claw to his face. "It really _is_ you..." She put her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "I thought I'd lost you..."

"No way, Rose." he said, smiling at her. "You can't get rid of the AmDrag _that_ easily."

The Dark Dragon stared at them in bewilderment. Then, a look of pure rage and hatred came into his eyes. He suddenly charged at them, bellowing in fury! Jake pushed Rose away, knocking her to the ground; but was too late to dodge the attack. The Dark Dragon hit him full force! Rose watched, helpless, as Jake was slammed into the wall. His head struck, and he fell, but this time, he didn't get up...

"_Jake! No!" _

The Dark Dragon looked down at Jake, his eyes shining in triumph. _"Finally! It is over!" _He turned to confront Rose. She had just gotten to her feet, a look of shock and horror on her face.

Rose took in the scene before her. Jake, lying dead; the Dark Dragon standing over him; staring back at her with a look of triumph on his face. Her shock quickly turned to rage, she glared at the Dark Dragon; her eyes hard as ice.

"_You_," she spat, _"I'll make you pay for what you've done!" _She lunged at the Dark Dragon, a huge jet of fire shooting from her mouth! He dodged the flames and slashed at her; knocking her to the floor. She rolled away; the Dark Dragon's fire missing her by inches. She stood up; the two dragons circling again. As she circled, glaring at the dragon before her; Rose could feel something raising within her, a new strength, new power...

The Dark Dragon stared at Rose; something was happening to her. As they circled each other, the faint glow that surrounded her seemed to be growing stronger. They stopped circling. The light surrounding Rose was shining fiercely. The mere force of it hurt the dragon's eyes as he looked at her.

As he watched; she put her claws together. One over the other, with the palms facing each other. Light gathered between them, forming a bright, blinding sphere of energy. She looked down at the sphere, then at him; staring deep into his red eyes.

Those eyes of her's; those deep, ocean blue eyes; they seemed to pierce into his very soul. And in that moment, Rose saw something that she'd never expected from him: _Fear... _

She held his gaze, her blue eyes boring into his. Then she said, "Your evil has come to an end, Dark Dragon."

"What are you going to do?" he said, "If you slay me, you'll be no better then I am."

"True," she said, "but you forget, there are far _worse_ things then death." With that, she thrust out both claws, palm out; sending the sphere straight for him! He dodged, the sphere striking the wall behind him.

"You missed." he said, glaring at her.

"Did I?" she asked, glancing behind him.

He turned, where the sphere of light had struck, a gaping hole had formed in the wall. But this, was no ordinary hole. It led into a strange, dark place. Purple mists were swirling through the blackness; and around the edge of the hole, light energy still blazed; forming a ring of white fire and lightning. The Dark Dragon recognized it instantly. It was a portal; a portal, to another dimension.

As he looked on, he could feel it starting pull at him, trying to draw him into it. He struggled against it, but the pull only intensified. "Noooo!" he roared, straining to hold his ground. Suddenly, he turned and lunged at Rose, knocking her to the ground. He pinned her beneath him and said, "If I leave this world; then I take you with me!" His claws slashed her chest, slicing deep. She roared in pain, and he slashed again.

_This is it. _Thought Rose, as the Dark Dragon continued to tear at her; _He won't stop until I'm slain. _Already, she could feel herself getting weaker. The pain was almost unbearable. He kept slashing, his claws cutting into her already wounded chest. As she looked up at him, Rose knew she wouldn't survive this. The dragon's strength was leaving her. The Dark Dragon's eyes bore into her's. He knew she was dying. The look in his eyes told her so. As his claws continued to slash her; she felt herself go limp. The pain was fading, as her eyesight grew dim. She turned her head, looking at Jake for the last time...

He stirred slightly. Rose blinked; was it just her eyes playing tricks? Then, he raised his head and looked at her. She saw him tense; saw the look in his eyes; and knew what he was going to do.

"Jake!" she pleaded, "Jake, no! Don't do it!"

His eyes gazed longingly into hers... "Goodbye, Rose."

He lunged, hurling himself at the Dark Dragon!

"_No!" _cried Rose. Jake hit the Dark Dragon full force; knocking him into the portal! It started closing; but as Jake tried to get out, the Dark Dragon grabbed hold of him; pulling him back as the portal collapsed on itself! It was gone in seconds; taking Jake and the Dark Dragon with it...

Rose forced herself to get up, but she could only get to all fours. With the last of her strength, she managed to crawl to where the portal had been. She gripped the wall with her claws; pulling herself upright, but it was too late. There was no trace of the portal. She didn't even know how she'd summoned it.

Rose sank to the floor in despair. Jake was gone... He'd only been trying to save her! With a roar of grief and frustration; the young dragon slammed her claws against the floor! A sharp pain in her left claw made her look down. There was something there; half buried in the sand where her claw had struck. She picked it up, staring at it. It was one of Jake's talons...

_He must have lost it during the fight, _thought Rose. She clutched it to her; sobbing as the full weight of everything that had happened came down on her. _Her memories returning; the failed rescue; the dragon powers; the final battle; Jake's sacrifice... Jake... _

At last, the exhaustion she'd been fighting for so long finally overcame her; and she collapsed. Rose was unconscious before she hit the floor. She returned to human form; Jake's talon still clutched in her hand. That was how the others found her; when they finally entered the room...


	20. Chapter 20 Not in vain

Dragonfire

Chapter 20: Not in Vain

Rose slowly opened her eyes, to find her mother looking down at her. "Mom...?" she said weakly. She tried to sit up, but her mother held her still.

"Try to take it easy." she said gently, then she pulled her daughter into a hug. "We thought we'd lost you..." Rose hugged her back.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" she said, then she looked around. "Where are the others?"

Her mother looked at her. "After Sun and Fu healed you, they went out to look for Jake." The sound of his name brought tears to Rose's eyes. She looked down at her hand; she still held his dragon talon...

"Mom..." she said, holding up the claw, "They won't find him..." Just then, Loa Shi and the others returned.

"There was no sign of him..." said Rose's father, then saw Rose. "Rose! You're awake!" He came over and hugged her, and she returned it. Then Loa Shi came up to her.

"Rose." he said gently, looking into her eyes. "Can you tell us what happened to Jake?"

Rose bowed her head; she couldn't meet his gaze. "He... tried to save me... there was this portal; _I _summoned it... Jake, he knocked the Dark Dragon off me; into the portal... but when he tried to get out... the Dark Dragon grabbed him! There... There was nothing I could do!" She threw her arms around the old dragon's neck; and buried her face in his scales, sobbing. He looked down at her as her words sank in.

"You- you mean he's..."

She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know... I'm sorry..." Loa Shi put his claws around her; trying to console her.

"Hush," he said soothingly, "It... It wasn't your fault, young one..."

Rose pulled away from him and looked around at the others. All of them were grief stricken. Jake's parents were trying to comfort each other. Spud and Trixie were consulting the Oracle Twins.

"Can't you guys see_ anything_ about Jake?" asked Trixie. Both girls shook their heads.

Sun was comforting Haley. "I- I can't believe he's gone..." the little dragon sobbed. Sun looked at Rose, her eyes full of sorrow.

"So... Now what'd we do?" asked 89.

"Well," said 88, "I guess we gotta find a new dragon now."

"What?!" said the others, looking at him.

"You know," he said, "Somebody's gotta do the magical protectin' 'til we find Jake."

"The Dragon Council must be told of this." said Loa Shi, "If Jake truly is gone... then a new Guardian must take his place."

"But who?" asked Sun, "Haley is still too young. Spud and Trixie will certainly want to help; but it still might not be enough."

Rose looked around at them all. "_I_ will." she said.

"Rose?" said Loa Shi, "What do you mean?"

She looked him straight in the eyes as she said, "Jake fought to protect magical creatures. _I_ will take up his fight. He gave his life to save mine. This is my chance to repay him."

Her parents came up to her. "Are your sure this is what you want?" her mother asked.

"What you're offering to do is a dangerous job." said her father.

Rose met their gazes firmly. "How is this anymore dangerous then what I've already been through?" She looked at Loa Shi and held Jake's talon against her heart. "Jake may be gone." she said, meeting the old dragon's gaze. "But I swear to you. I will not let his death be in vain."

As they turned to leave, no one noticed; that in the shadows of a nearby tunnel... Chang was watching...

To be continued...

* * *

Look for the sequel "Darkfire"! (Out now!) P.S. I need some ideas for what names to give Rose's parents. Thank you all for reading this and thanks for the reviews :)

p.s. again, As some of you may have heard; Disney has canceled American Dragon: Jake Long at the end of this season. Myself and other fans are doing everything we can to help save the show and bring it back for a third season, but time is running out and we need all the help we can get!

If anyone out there knows how to get in touch with Disney; please let them know about our cause, and that we'd like the show back for a third, or possibly more seasons:) Thank you readers:)

Answers to questions you've probably been asking yourself-

Q. How can Rose have the birthmark of the Huntsclan; and dragon powers, and the Huntsclan not knowing about her powers?

A. Well, why couldn't she have both? In this story, her father is a dragon; even though he doesn't have powers; and she already had the dragon-shaped birthmark that the Huntsclan were looking for.

As for the Huntsclan not knowing about her powers; from what I've heard from the show, most dragon's powers don't reveal themselves until age 13. (See episode Legend of the Dragon Tooth.) So how could the Huntsclan have known about them?

Q. Out of all the Huntsclan trainees; why on Earth did the Huntsmaster pick 88 and 89 as his new apprentices?

A. They lied on their resumes. (See episode Breakout.)

Q. Why couldn't Rose quit the Huntsclan?

A. She had no where else to go. The Huntsmaster had raised her, and she had no way to find her real family.

Q. How did Jake and his friends (and 88 and 89) still keep their memories of Rose; if Jake wished she was never in the Huntsclan; and why did Jake still have his photo of Rose, along with the dream charm she gave him?

A. This answer gave me headache, but here's what I think happened: The wishes made by the Aztec skulls are irreversible. Rose wished the Huntsclan destroyed. To save Rose's life; Jake wished that she'd never been taken by the Huntsclan.

If she was never taken, then she would have never met Jake; and thus would have never made her wish. The two wishes would have canceled each other out. But since the wishes _couldn't _cancel each other out, and because Rose's wish had already be granted; only part of Jake's wish came true.

All the stuff between him and Rose still happened; but her memory of it was erased, and the wish created an alternate reality for Rose; one in which she lived a normal life with her family. But she was still having dreams of her forgotton life as Huntsgirl.

I'm guessing the photo and the dream charm still being there was some sort of side effect. It has to do with this whole, parallel reality thing.


End file.
